……counting down, counting down days and counting down participants. Sadly, only three of the four original fundraising females will be heading out to Cuba next Friday.
Some of you will know by now that in the last fortnight Alison has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and has to remain behind to start treatment. We are going to miss her gliding effortlessly up hills in front of us (quite how she made it through that ride in howling gales while her body is facing it’s biggest fight ever I don’t know) but we are going to go and do it for her, sending pictures and texts of the detail of the horror of each new hill / mossy bite / sore spot / sleepless night….. so she can sit at home supping tea and think of us!
We have spent a year planning this together, I dread to think how many texts Ali and I have swapped in the last 13 months over fundraising / training / fundraising / kit / fundraising / training / fundraising….and it is a cruel blow that right at the final post we don’t all get a chance to share in what will be a wonderful experience together. However, breast cancer affects one in nine women in Britain today, and touches the lives of one in three, and it would seem Alison is the ninth woman.
Action for charity, the trip organisers, have said they will 'hold' Alison's place, and as soon as she is well enough she will be able to go on whichever trip is on at the time (trips planned so far are Cuba March 09 and Jordan October 09), and they have also agreed that they will hold a second place for me so I can go along with her! Yay! So the fundraising is NOT over; the cycle (pun intended) will start all over again once I return, And as a silver lining in this cloud it means I raise an extra £3000 for an exceptionally good cause.
Alison, we love you, we will miss you in Cuba, and we know you will shout at us if we cop out and get on the land rover! I am sure all the readers (and there are some I believe) will join me in praying, thinking, crossing limbs – whatever it is you do – and sending lots of love for you and your family at this time.
Ruth
P.S. You know I do think there would have been easier get-outs of spending ten days solid with me.....she could just have SAID something!
P.P.S, can I encourage those of you who are yet to buy Christmas cards to consider doing so from here, and in doing so support the Royal Marsden Hospital who will be providing Alison's care.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
out with the old...
So B.O.D (the bike formally known as Thing) has gone. To the great bike repair shop in the sky (otherwise known as Frome tip).
This morning has seen me walking shiny new bike (needs a name me thinks - suggestions please!) to school, where the caretaker Mr. Richie fitted a shiny new trailer bike that I was buying off him - Jack and I then made it home, took the trailer off, put both bikes on the car and headed to Halfords to have remaining child seat gubbins taken off Thing and put onto Shiny new bike. Now I am all set to get Sam from school, with Jack on the crossbar seat...and it is POURING with rain!
So I promised I'd fill you in on last weekends epic journey. Well to start with Ali and I had to go to the bike shop to get a new tyre and inner tube as shiny new bike had been delivered with gaping holes. Then we gathered at Caz's; The intrpid trio ready for the off.
Caz has a great new toy on her bike; she has fancy new clipless pedals and shoes. As I was just doing a couple of laps checking shiny new bike, she was demonstrating these: the shoes clip into the pedals, and then you can pull as well as push with each stroke. To remove your foot you twist it sideways and it pops out in a flash! "Easy as pie!" said Caz, who twisted her right foot out of the pedal, and then lent left. And yes, ended up in a heap on the ground.
Hmmmm. Not a great start to our epic ride!
As we headed to Shoreham airport (within a mile of leaving!) the weather started getting bad. Windy, rainy, cold, rainy, blostery, rainy, icy, rainy, cold... By the time we had gone another mile we were discussing whether we would be able to finish. By the time we had gone a nother mile we were SOAKING wet and freezing cold!
We managed a soggy 20 miles before stopping for lunch at Bolney. We walked into the coldest pub in the world look like the most bedraggled crew you have ever seen. And yes, it really was the coldest pub in the world. We would have been warmer and drier had we spent 20 minute swimming in iced water. An hour later, we ventured out of the pub into the still appalling weather, and getting back on those bikes was practically torture. The next stretch of the journey we did about a mile (or half?) actually ON the A23. The cycle route takes you up the pavement on the side. This was just hell! Into the wind, cars whizzing past at 60/70mph, the wind and rain lashing into your face, the rain stinging where it hits you, unable to see clearly with or without glasses, and by this point my bum was SORE. Ed had assured me that sticking with the posh saddle on my new bike was worthwhile, but by gum, getting used to a whole new riding position and new saddle on a long ride in these conditions was NOT a good plan.
We plodded bravely on, discussing how in decent weahter it would actually be a very pretty route, and trying to convince ourselves we could do it. Then we hit Handcross hill. Handcross Hill goes on and on and on and on. And on. Oh, and On. Just when you think you have got to the top, you round the corner and look! A bit more up!
It finished us off. By this point the light was going and whereas we had made pretty good time before lunch covering 20 miles in 2.5 hours (please appreciate this is pretty good time for us, but rubbish for 'normal' cyclists), since lunch we had managed only 5 (up) miles in nearly an hour. The light was going, we all ached and hurt and were cold and wet as never before. We stopped in the pub, and rang for our knight in shining armour - otherwise known as Mike - to rescue us.
Once in the pub we automatically drifted towards the roaring log fire, and stood there like muppets for about 10 minutes before we were defrosted enough to even think about ordering drinks. Kit was removed, shoes were removed and put to dry by the fire, and three hot chocolates were ordered. Twice.
On Sunday, we decided to drive back to Lancing, and on the A23 we all agreed that the stretch we had done on there was very UP indeed!
Some time I will draw a picture of the three of us on this trip. Alison seemingly gliding effortlessly in front, hardly breaking a sweat, and me panting, spinning legs furiously, red in the face, puffed out, exhausted, sweating like a pig, struggling behind. Caz was somewhere in the middle I think.
Two weeks to go.....
This morning has seen me walking shiny new bike (needs a name me thinks - suggestions please!) to school, where the caretaker Mr. Richie fitted a shiny new trailer bike that I was buying off him - Jack and I then made it home, took the trailer off, put both bikes on the car and headed to Halfords to have remaining child seat gubbins taken off Thing and put onto Shiny new bike. Now I am all set to get Sam from school, with Jack on the crossbar seat...and it is POURING with rain!
So I promised I'd fill you in on last weekends epic journey. Well to start with Ali and I had to go to the bike shop to get a new tyre and inner tube as shiny new bike had been delivered with gaping holes. Then we gathered at Caz's; The intrpid trio ready for the off.
Caz has a great new toy on her bike; she has fancy new clipless pedals and shoes. As I was just doing a couple of laps checking shiny new bike, she was demonstrating these: the shoes clip into the pedals, and then you can pull as well as push with each stroke. To remove your foot you twist it sideways and it pops out in a flash! "Easy as pie!" said Caz, who twisted her right foot out of the pedal, and then lent left. And yes, ended up in a heap on the ground.
Hmmmm. Not a great start to our epic ride!
As we headed to Shoreham airport (within a mile of leaving!) the weather started getting bad. Windy, rainy, cold, rainy, blostery, rainy, icy, rainy, cold... By the time we had gone another mile we were discussing whether we would be able to finish. By the time we had gone a nother mile we were SOAKING wet and freezing cold!
We managed a soggy 20 miles before stopping for lunch at Bolney. We walked into the coldest pub in the world look like the most bedraggled crew you have ever seen. And yes, it really was the coldest pub in the world. We would have been warmer and drier had we spent 20 minute swimming in iced water. An hour later, we ventured out of the pub into the still appalling weather, and getting back on those bikes was practically torture. The next stretch of the journey we did about a mile (or half?) actually ON the A23. The cycle route takes you up the pavement on the side. This was just hell! Into the wind, cars whizzing past at 60/70mph, the wind and rain lashing into your face, the rain stinging where it hits you, unable to see clearly with or without glasses, and by this point my bum was SORE. Ed had assured me that sticking with the posh saddle on my new bike was worthwhile, but by gum, getting used to a whole new riding position and new saddle on a long ride in these conditions was NOT a good plan.
We plodded bravely on, discussing how in decent weahter it would actually be a very pretty route, and trying to convince ourselves we could do it. Then we hit Handcross hill. Handcross Hill goes on and on and on and on. And on. Oh, and On. Just when you think you have got to the top, you round the corner and look! A bit more up!
It finished us off. By this point the light was going and whereas we had made pretty good time before lunch covering 20 miles in 2.5 hours (please appreciate this is pretty good time for us, but rubbish for 'normal' cyclists), since lunch we had managed only 5 (up) miles in nearly an hour. The light was going, we all ached and hurt and were cold and wet as never before. We stopped in the pub, and rang for our knight in shining armour - otherwise known as Mike - to rescue us.
Once in the pub we automatically drifted towards the roaring log fire, and stood there like muppets for about 10 minutes before we were defrosted enough to even think about ordering drinks. Kit was removed, shoes were removed and put to dry by the fire, and three hot chocolates were ordered. Twice.
On Sunday, we decided to drive back to Lancing, and on the A23 we all agreed that the stretch we had done on there was very UP indeed!
Some time I will draw a picture of the three of us on this trip. Alison seemingly gliding effortlessly in front, hardly breaking a sweat, and me panting, spinning legs furiously, red in the face, puffed out, exhausted, sweating like a pig, struggling behind. Caz was somewhere in the middle I think.
Two weeks to go.....
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sorry, Ruth can't come to the blog right now.
Still defrosting and drying out after doing this route in the pouring rain and howling gales yesterday. Yes we were supposed to go to Redill, and back Sunday. No we didn't make it. Total ascent 925 foot. Total descent -449 foot. Yes we are exhausted. 'Nuff said.
More later.....
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