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. . . . . As we arrive via La Linea the huge rock of Gibraltar looming ahead, the skies clear & blue, we were nearly there.  We just needed to get past the Spanish police with the camper & meet up with my Mum & daughters Katie & Chantelle whose flight had arrived on time at 11.00.
Mike, Dave & I got in the queue to go thro passport control & as we passed thro we heard a loud cheer & screaming & could then see our family & friends waiting in the crowd with a cameraman & reporters.  My immediate thoughts were what a fantastic reception & so need to see everyone with big hugs & kisses but why is the cameraman pointing at us?  Little did we know that Stuart Green, the Gibraltar media person we had met with a couple of months earlier had arranged for this.  We were then ushered into MOD property & met up with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment who was going to run with us thro the town to the Naval HQ in the docks.  We waited for my Dad to come thro with the camper & he did to a great round of applause from everyone.  We now had a few press taking pictures & TV crew filming.  We set off with flashing policeman in front & the soldiers running in columns behind the 3 of us.  We had the Baton & its flag as we ran across the runway & stopped for a photo shoot then on thro the town with the flashing police bike stopping all the traffic.  A great feeling of pride shone from all of us & our team.  We arrived at Naval HQ on the docks to rapturous applause from about 100 soldiers & naval personnel.  The Gibraltar commander came forward to meet & greet us.  Wow! What a fantastic reception, better than you could ever have imagined.  And that was not all!  I had noticed a large gun positioned on the dock facing out to sea.  We were now invited to fire a live round in honour of The Sunshine Challenge achievements.  So the 3 boys stepped forwards for some PR shots & ear defenders placed.  With some trepidation in my thoughts the Commander gave the signal to the Sergeant Major to commence procedure & I was instructed that on the 2nd command to fire I was to pull the top lever with my right hand & be prepared for the gun to recoil.  So on the 2nd fire I pulled the lever & an almighty bang with a lot of debris went all over.  The smouldering brass shell then came shooting out of the back onto the floor & a big round of applause.  After this were a couple of TV interviews & off to the Caleta Hotel & a night out with the team to celebrate.
                                               THE END

The alarm was set for a 7 am start but both Mel & me were awake at 4 am.  We stayed awake thinking about the final day & the target we had of 45 miles to the Gibraltar border for 11.45 & the police escort planned thro the town.  The plan was to set off at 7.30 with everyone in the camper, to travel back up the road to the Algeciras road & RV with Chris & Mike Senior.  Chris would then travel on to La Linea, park up & then go over the border with his cameras & wait for us.  Mike would then bike with us to San Roque & RV with the camper van & support team to transition into running gear.
I decided in my mind that I would cycle on my own back up the mountain in the dark.  At 7am I say my own good-byes to the mountains, the fab roads, the Spanish people & all the special moments of the Sunshine Challenge.  So a quick bowl of Cheerios & off up the stony track to the mountain road in the dark with both front & rear lights flashing.  The air was fresh & warm with 3 owls hooting to each other & mountain goats rustling in the bushes somewhere alongside probably wondering what the lone cyclist was doing in the pitch black.  Then I had an idea to put on some haunting Andreu Bocelli music just as the first light was beginning to break.  This brought a rye smile to my face as I looked out across the mountains & nodded an appreciation thanking them for providing such a fantastic experience & allowing us a safe passage.
Soon after the camper passed by with Dave & the team ready for the RV at the top.  We were all soon whizzing from Gaucin on our way to our next RV at San Roque.  2 ½ hrs & 40 miles later we met up with the camper after a quick adjustment to the route& cycling on the Mediterranean motorway for 6 miles without getting stopped.
So now to the final leg running into Gib & across the border 
without any hiccups . . . . . . .

Today is Elvis Day & up for breakfast at Algondonales & the Casa Parra, a fab little B&B with it’s own pool.  So for a cold swim first thing to chill the legs & prepare them for the morning run.  Breakfast was a real treat with fresh melon, strong coffee & soft boiled eggs with toast with is all sat around a sunny table with spectacular views across the mountains.  But on thing I had forgotten was my haircut.  In a moment of quick decision I had been to the local Spanish barbers & had a short-back-&-sides; so a panic thought!  But then, do you know what it was an absolutely fantastic experience so I do not really care how it looks.  With the sun baking down & bringing all the mountains, hills & lakes alive with the blue Mediterranean skies, we were running along a twisty, windy road heading for the mountain pass to Gaucin.  It was hard running this morning & when running for over 40 days, one minute you can feel on top of the world & the next knees throbbing & just want to stop & rest.  So remembering Elvis day I put on some old rock & roll numbers this passed away a few more miles.  Then approaching the top of a huge hill there he was with a big lens on his camera, my cousin Chris & Mike Senior & our team, my Dad with the camper.  After welcomes & hugs we were off continuing the run for a further 5 miles, donned with an Elvis wig & the ‘baton’ which today served as a microphone as we all had a rendition of early Elvis music & dancing across the white line along the roadside. 

So now Dave, Mike & I set off ready for some big mountain climbs & this was proved right immediately hitting 12% gradient long road climbs.  Mike & I pull away racing up & down the mountain passes hitting a top speed together of 47.7mph, each trying to get our nose in front & taking a sharp bend & then climbing again heading for Cortes.  With a heart beat high at 140 & sweat pouring, up a 12.2% road again I wanted to maximise my last big day so out came the iPhone to video & capture this moment with falling off!  Mike & I miss our turn & get lost in Cortes eventually finding our way out of this high mountain town & down towards the valley below.  Stopping to call Dave to check his progress we find he has done the same so we tried to guide him back on track & we head off again slowly waiting for Dave to catch up.  After hitting the bottom & going over the railway lines we speak to Dave again & establish that the road he told us he was on the last call was in fact a higher mountain pass so he turned round & headed back down.  Now we were headed up the other side so stopped for a café-con-leche & some fruit & cold water to refresh.  After dipping out heads in the cold water stream running thro the venta café, Dave came by puffing & struggling to achieve any rhythm.  He was not happy with the mountain roads & found them hard & giving them a right old rollicking as we all set off.  After a while we stopped to get some water & biscuits into Dave & tucked him in behind us to pull hime into base camp for the night in Gaucin.
It was time to head for ‘home’, all three boys free-wheeling the next few miles into Gaucin.  The evening was spent reading out best wishes from our family, friends & sponsors.  This was my first night in 42 I had a couple of beers & hell, they tasted good, although went straight to my head!  So to bed for the final night of the Sunshine Challenge.

Left the camper this morning ready for 81 miles, which was perked on a busy street in Lora del Rio.  We created lots of interest this morning & last night with local people.  One mother & her son came to say they had visited London last week & that she was taking her son to school so we gave her one of our posters for him to show off at school.  This morning was our first partial cloudy day running on straight moorland roads with what look like cotton plants growing & olive plantations?  To avoid the mundane running I put on some early blues tracks & started to rock & roll along the white lines & also put on some black rimmed glasses with no glass & just had a giggle.  As we pass thro a busy village a little old lady smiled 7 said in her old Spanish accent “Ah Elvis Presley” & continued walking by.  This made me think about music is such a good way to communicate & gave me an idea.  As my cousin Chris North & friend Mike Senior are joining us for the final 2 days we should have an Elvis day.  So tomorrow is such a day, a good laugh & a bit of bopping in the streets.
And so to the bikes for the last jumbo ride of the Sunshine Challenge; 70 miles & we planned it this way because we thought that it was the last of flat lands before the Andalucía Mountains.  We got the first 30 miles in the bag with the only real observation being our sore under carriages (my big boil has decided to double in size & was extremely painful & uncomfortable on the saddle).  So we road into a garage for a Maxibon ice cream & cold water.  Now refreshed we set off again leg creaking.  I have noticed that until the legs are spinning & the blood flowing through then they do not want to work & it is better to wait until a natural downhill to get this going instead of forcing it.
We entered a town & on a roundabout there was a full size Phantom jet & the next one a 15ft chicken: not sure what the real significance was??  Now we started to hit some hills & I was relieved as it was a good reason to get out of the saddle.  With 20 miles to go I hit the front & climbed hard & fast pulling away from Dave & pushing on.  With the blood now flowing & my heart rate up to 137 I had realised that we had hit the hills & mountains a day earlier than planned.  What a fantastic site & I was going to make the most of it.  I turned the next corner & hit a 12% gradient, which was great fun & hard.  The next 16 miles was all spectacular climbing in mountains & I managed to eat a fab jam sandwich whilst on the move.  Now coming down on the twist & turns & some loose stones; got to be careful whilst still rushing it.  I hit a large stone & lost it on a bend.  Thank goodness I got back in control & thanked everyone I could think of as it could have been a bad fall.
So now arriving in Algodonales, a lovely mountain town I met up with the girls & Dad.  I went back a few miles to guide Dave in as he was struggling with the heat.  A dip in a cool swimming pool sorted everything & homemade chicken a la crème to bed for an early night.