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Behind the Pedals A new video about Sustrans' famous Sea to Sea ride is in
the shops. The presenter Simon Willis reveals what went on behind the scenes. "That was great Simon..." Wait for it, I thought. Here
comes the mantra of the television industry, "....but can we just do it
once again". Take a map of the C2C. Now pick a hill, preferably a big one,
and imagine riding it not once or twice but three or four times, one after
the other, then you've got a fair idea of what it was like to shoot this
video. The first would be a wide shot, the next climb usually a close up, and
to complete the sequence, a rear view was filmed. Sometimes we did it in a
very wide view, to make the most of the scenery. All of these were then
edited together to look like one continuous climb. Now you know the secret,
if you watch the video carefully you might be able to work out, hill by hill,
the order in which the shots were filmed because, take after take, my pedals
turned just that little bit more slowly. The Sustrans' Sea to Sea is a unique phenomenon, special enough
to earn a place in the X-files. For some mysterious reason, people who
haven't lifted a leg over a cross bar in decades find themselves drawn to the
challenge . Propelled by an invisible force, they squirt oil over the rusting
frame in the garage, fix the punctures, and set out for the start. With an
enthusiastic, slightly crazed, look in their eyes, they dip their wheels into
the Irish Sea and begin the long pedal East. Neither Mulder nor Scully could
begin to explain why so many people are possessed by the urge to cycle from
Whitehaven or Workington, all the way across the Lake District, the Pennines
and the industrial North East, to finish at Sunderland or Tynemouth. But
possessed they are. Each year fifteen thousand of them ride the route,
spending an average of £120 each along the way. This video was partly to find
out why they do it, but also to allow them to prepare for the challenge by
seeing what lies ahead, and then be a permanent reminder of a very special
ride. Best of all, you do not have to be a fanatical cyclist to enjoy
and complete the ride. While filming, we met a whole range of people, from
those trying to race across in less than two days, to whole families,
including Grandparents, who were treating the C2C as a week long holiday. I
must admit, I'm more in tune with their approach. Some riders seem as if they
were born in a saddle, with leathery backsides and chain drive legs. Others
can strip a bike and reassemble it using only a bent coat hanger, but not me.
Much to my embarrassment, as you'll see in the video, I made a complete hash
of mending a broken chain. I'd just pedalled to the summit of Hartside Pass
(for the third take), and rounded the corner into the cafe car park when I
came across two C2C cyclists looking very distressed. "It just
snapped", the man complained, pointing to a chain which looked like it
hadn't seen any oil since the OPEC crisis of the 1970's. His girlfriend was
shivering in the biting cold drizzle that enveloped the summit, so whipped my
chain tool out of my bag with the words, "I'll soon have that fixed". At that precise moment, for some unknown reason, my brain
completely disengaged and free wheeled away down the hill. The camera turned,
just inches from my fumbling hands, but my mind was a complete blank. I've
mended chains in the burning heat of Mexico, in Scottish peat bogs and beside
many busy roads, but never with a camera peering over my shoulder and, for
the first time in my life, I think I suffered from stage fright. Keith, our
cameraman, eventually became bored with my failing efforts, and the moment he
switched off and wandered away, my mind clicked back into gear. The chain was
joined and working within minutes, and a grateful pair of cyclists headed
down to road towards Alston. Making this video I had two really big surprises. The first was
that everyone I met was remarkably friendly. For the last twenty years I've
been taking video cameras up to complete strangers and chatting to them, but
I never have a met a happier, more welcoming selection of people than on this
route. I know that cyclists are, by and large, a pretty nice bunch of folk,
but since three days of our five day ride were spent soaking wet, I'd have
expected to encounter at least one Mister Grumpy. I can only conclude there's
something so satisfying about riding this route that it cheers even the
darkest soul. The second surprise came when the completed video arrived
through the post. Forget about the fact that in the cover photograph I look
like constipated tortoise poking his head out of his shell. What took me
aback was how quickly my three complimentary copies disappeared. I'd taken
them with me to work at BBC Newcastle where the news programmes have
regularly reported the developments and awards heaped upon the C2C. The route
itself is no longer big news, but I thought a few of the keener cyclists
might like to take a look at what we'd filmed. They didn't get the chance!
Others, who I didn't even know possessed a bike, confessed they secretly
harboured ambitions to tackle a route they'd heard so much about and wanted
to see if they'd be up to the task. Which, of course, is the whole point of the video. Whether it's
bad weather or a broken chain, things will probably go wrong when you ride
the C2C and learning how to cope with them is half the fun of cycle touring.
That knowledge only comes with experience, but it's wise to prepare as much
as possible before jumping in the saddle and pedalling off into the sunset.
The aim of our video is to show you at first hand what a lightweight mountain
bike tour is really like; coping with bad weather, finding places to eat, to
sleep, and most importantly, to drink. I'm delighted with the way it turned
out because it is the next best thing to riding the route itself and, just in
case you have your head down pedalling all the way, it's a great reminder
when you get home again of the spectacular scenery you rode through. But
please, when it comes to the part where I'm failing to repair that chain,
don't laugh. Promise? BUY THE VIDEO
FROM STRIDING EDGE
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