Thank You - The Final Post

Hi Guys.

It's been 1 week since we got back from the cycle ride, a week that has given me a chance to take in just how big an achievement it was. I had the best week of my life, and we raised a whole load of money for a charity very close to my heart. It looks like we will raise £1500 once all the sponsorship is in, and I cannot thank everyone enough for their kind donations. Times are tough at the moment, with the economic climate the way it is, and so to have made anywhere near the amount we have is an incredible feat. Thankyou all so very much.

This cycle ride was my idea, but I have so many people to thank in helping that idea become a reality.

The first person I need to mention is my incredible fiance Esther. I've driven her mad over the last year talking constantly about cycling when I should have been helping with the organisation of our Wedding. She has been so patient with me and never had a problem with the constant training, route planning and blogging. I can't imagine how annoying I must have been to live with, and how much the cycle ride has taken over everything in the last few months as everything became closer to happening. Esther has been so understanding and I am so lucky to have her. It's 2 weeks until the wedding and I have a massive list of jobs to do, but I know it'll all come together and we will have such a special day. I love you with all my heart, and thankyou for letting me do this. You are amazing.

I wrote an entire blog post dedicated to Norman Pitcher early on which tells you everything you need to know about him. Over the past few months he has given me so much advice and support. Without this knowledge we probably wouldn't have made it. Norman has so much experience and his annual 100 mile Reading to Poole cycle ride was a huge inspiration in the thinking up of this ride. I'm looking forward to doing Norm's ride next year with him.

At the start of the year I was riding a slow, heavy mountain bike to train on and was constantly being told that I needed a road bike, something that I didn't think I would be able to get past Esther! I have to say a huge thanks to Tim for suggesting I look at finding a Boardman. I was lucky to find one that had never been ridden, on ebay. The spec of my bike is brilliant for what I paid for it, and after pimping it out with a brilliant saddle, some clipless pedals and a new set of tyres it is the best thing I have ever bought. It was the only bike to make the journey to Cornwall without any problems and I love it. The colours of it even match my Livestrong clothing . . . . . . which is of course what it's all about!

My cousin Scott designed us some T-shirts to wear with a brilliant logo on for us. We attracted some attention each evening and they also helped in getting us some extra sponsorship along the way. I love them and am so grateful to him for doing them for us. Our support team had them on each day and it made us feel like a proper cycling team with an identity. Professionalism is something that was important in the way we were doing things and the T-shirts really helped with that. Scott's website is www.hairyhand.co.uk please check it out and give him a shout if you ever need anything designed. He also has some other T-shirts on there. He is superb and I'm so happy that he was a part of this.

My future sister-in-law Sally helped get us through the tough times everyday after sorting us out a big discount on some energy gels from the Snow and Rock/Cycle Surgery store that she manages. Instant energy was needed by all of us at some stage and the fact that we had these gels was vital. I wouldn't recommend them as a taste sensation, but they do the job! Thanks Sally X

Esther's brother Chris was supposed to be on the ride but had to pull out due to conflicting diary problems. We missed you, but I am so grateful for the advice and help you gave me. I know you and Lynda will be fantastic parents and am so lucky to be getting you as a brother-in-law.

Janet and Allan Bushnell are Richard's parents. The route for Day 1 was a tricky task and was one that they were very much involved with. Janet, Allan and Richard came up with a route that was excellent. It took alot of pressure off of me and seeing as Richard spent the majority of the ride as the lead cyclist, it made sense that he might have a clue where he was going! (It didn't always help him, but did a little!)

David Anderson is a legend. Not only was he the best training partner I could ever have asked for, he also discovered the genius feature on mapmyride.com that gave me a 3D flyover of the route for each day, as well as the all important elevation graphs. I was out training with David a couple of times a week and even though he wasn't able to do the ride to Cornwall due to work commitments, he was still a huge part of the team. I loved training with Dave, and can't wait to get back out there with him again in the next week or so getting him ready to join us for the ride in 2012.

Both of my Nan's had to deal with the madness of our ride descending on their houses. It was obviously alot to deal with, but both of them were so happy for us to have been there. They were both so important in the whole journey, and with the charity The British Heart Foundation too. My Grandpa, Mum and sister Leigh along with Esther helped make the start a very special occasion. Knowing you have the support of the people you love the most is something that helps you in a way that I can't quite describe. I was feeling that support all the way along the route, and without it I would have found it so much tougher.

That support also came from everyone who had read this blog and sponsored us. We made alot of money during the ride itself, and it was an enormous boost everytime we would see the total on the justgiving page increase. Thankyou so much to each and everyone of you who helped push us on, knowing you were thinking of us. All the goodwill messages we got were incredible and added to our motivation. This was by no means an easy thing we were doing and we can't ever thank you all enough for keeping us going.

Our support team of my Dad and Esther's Dad were different class. I just don't think I will be able to write down how grateful I am to both of them for what they did and the way they did it.
Barry flew over from his house in the south of France to drive a clunky old van for us. Barry is brilliant and it was amazing how excited we would all get every time he drove past us. Thanks for everything Barry, you are a superstar, and after riding the spare bike across the car park on day 3, I think we might have to put you in the riding team for 2012!
I couldn't even begin to tell you all how much my Dad loved being part of the team. He was in his element. He did so much beforehand, route planning, printing out all the maps, finding our place to stay on night 1, organising for us to have the van from his work as our support vehicle and coming to Brighton on our last training ride. On the ride itself he was everywhere, leading us through difficult places to navigate, pointing us in the right direction and also being our official photographer providing all the brilliant images that were put on the blog each night.
We couldn't have made it to Cornwall without either of them, I loved having you both as part of our team and am eternally grateful for everything you did along the way.

Lastly, I have to thank the lads, Ade, Richard and Carlos. Wow!, What you all did was incredible, giving up a week of your lives to come on my crazy bike ride. Let alone the training. We all worked so well as a team, helped each other through and had so much fun along the way. I love you all so much and am so happy that you were all able to be there with me at the end. This was my labour of love, but you all took it on, got involved and made it into something so much more than that. This will be something that we will all talk about forever and something that will always unite us. Our little world was a special place for that week and we found out so much about each other. What a ride, what a team and what an achievement.
Bad Boys for life.

Bring on 2012 - it's going to be epic!

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

It all ends - Tintagel to St.Day

Hi Guys,

After a brutal 75 mile day on day 4, through the endless rolling hills of Devon and into Cornwall we woke up in the spectacular setting of Tintagel Youth Hostel, right on the rocky coastline of Northern Cornwall.

Carlos and I cooked breakfast, with a little help from Ade on toast duty before we loaded up the van. The road surface meant that along with our bags, we also loaded our bikes and ourselves in the back of the van to make the trip up the road to where we had finished the previous day. Holding on for dear life we were thrown about in the back while Barry (who I'm sure was doing it on purpose!) bounced the van along the coastal path.

The terrain was still very much up and down and we were hit with a really steep hill very early on. We all just about managed to change gear quickly enough! The previous day had contained the funniest moment of the ride, when immediately after flying down a huge step hill we were confronted with a near vertical climb (well it seemed it! - the sign said 25%) Richard collapsed off his bike shouting "too high gear, too high gear", Ade swerved him, only to have the same problem and collapsed in hysterical laughter just past Richard. Somehow, and I have no idea how, but my gears managed to change in time. I was then faced with a balance issue as I was too in hysterical laughter. Carlos also managed to change gear just in time, lucky he had that brand new derailleur really! We all managed to get to the top, and I really can't quite do the hill justice as to how high and steep it was. The next time you go to Cornwall, take the B3227 through Devon and you'll see what I mean!
We headed upwards and inland before swinging out towards the coast again for my little indulgence of the day. I love Watergate Bay, it's such a beautiful place, filled with energy and vibrance, from both the natural landscape and also the people who visit there. It also is the home of my favourite restaurant in the world, Fifteen Cornwall. We were going to head down into Mawgan Porth, which is the bay just above Watergate Bay, climb up the steep hill out and then have the descent into Watergate Bay before having the steep climb out of there too.
I feared mutiny, but the sun was finally out and we had just stopped for lunch, so everyone seemed up for the challenge. It was a brilliant feeling and a spectacular view. I had hung back from the front 2 and just had the moment to myself. Carlos was miles back as usual! At the top of Watergate Bay I began to think about the enormity of what we were doing, why I was doing it, and who I was doing it for. I began to get a little emotional. I was determined to keep a lid on it though, as we still had another 18 miles to go.

We rode into Newquay knowing that we would pass the 300 mile mark on the other side, before we did that though came a moment of cycle rage. Newquay was full of traffic and we were all doing our best to get past the cars by scooting along between them and the curb. This was going pretty well before I met an arrogant moron of a bus driver who just wanted to squash me. He could see me, and pointed out so by opening his doors to yell some abuse at me. I squeezed past him and gave him the stare that I give idiot motorists, he then decided to drive his bus at me again, at which point I punched the side of his bus and yelled out what I though of him at the top of my voice. I apologise to everyone in Newquay who heard what I called him, it was a combination of how stupid a bus driver he was, and also the emotion of nearing the end of our journey that had completely taken me over.

I struggled with the emotion all the way down to the point where Richard gave me the lead about 4 miles away from my Nan's. He then decided he wanted it back (he really doesn't like anyone in front of him!) but I wasn't going to have any of it. This was mine, and I essentially raced him all the way to the edge of St.Day where we pulled into a line to finish together. Halfway down my Nan's road, they told me to go first. I saw my Nan and all the emotion came back but this time there was no holding it back. As I hugged my Nan I just started to cry, I was in pieces.
I sat down on the grass and tried to pull myself back together. It took what seemed like an age, eventually I was able to hug the rest of the guys and tell them how amazing they all were.
I have never felt anything quite like that before, it had been a year of my life in planning and training and suddenly it was over. Physically I was fine, mentally I was gone.

I have lived and breathed this cycle ride for the last 12 months, what started as a crazy idea turned into probably the best week of my life. I have so many people to thank and I think I'll have to do that in another blog post.

For now, I have a huge thankyou to say to each and every one of you who have been reading this blog.

I hope you've enjoyed reading, it's been brilliant to do and is something I will look back on in many years to come.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

Day 4 Pictures - Bampton to Tintagel

Hi Guys,

As you probably all know, we finished the ride yesterday! Thankyou so much for all the congratulations we received by text, phone and facebook. It was an incredible week, and I have so much to write about and tell you all.

As predicted, we lost reception and all contact with the outside world once we hit the spectacular Cornish coastline at Tintagel, which forced me to stop writing the blog. Last night was our celebration meal out, so I didn't get the chance then either. I am going to write a big post tomorrow, but in the meantime thought I would share some pictures from the epic day that was Friday, the hardest days cycling I have ever done.

I hope you like them, speak to you tomorrow!

Day 3 - Bath to Bampton

Hi Guys,

Yesterday was pretty simple, today was a different story!

We went through 3 county's today, which is a massive achievement. The problem was that we had to do it battling the elements. After 2 pretty perfect days weather wise, we woke up this morning with the rain pouring down. Knowing that you have to start a day going up a steep hill, in the pouring rain, before 9am is not the best way to begin your day, let me tell you! The rain came in spurts, but when it did it was horrible, and there is nothing you can do when it does come, apart from get wet and uncomfortable.

The rain was one thing, but the wind was something else. I cannot begin to describe some of the headwinds today, all I can say is that we have some strained, tired and aching shoulders after battling through it.

We then come to the biggest story of the day, which was Carlos's bike. The short story is that the rear derailleur became mangled and twisted onto itself and we were forced into finding a bike shop who could repair it. I've included a picture of the state it was in below and trust me, it isn't supposed to look like that!

Tomorrow is our toughest day, and so we are off for an early night, but here are a few pictures from today.

Hopefully I'll be back online tomorrow night to let you all know that we made it, but Cornish phone reception might have other ideas!
Keep sponsoring us, we'll need the encouragement tomorrow www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

A Few Pictures From Yesterday

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit 

Day 2 - Newbury to Bath

Hi Guys,

Working well as a team, having no problems at all . . . . . . this isn't the blog post I expected to write today, but am really glad that I am!

We had the biggest hill of the whole journey to negotiate today, on the approach to Bath . . . . and we nailed it!

This is more fun than I can explain, and the continueed support is amazing. Keep up the sponsorship and I'll speak to you tomorrow.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

Day 1 - London to Newbury

Wow!

It's the end of our first day. This feels a little bit like a dream at the moment, after all the planning and anticipation, but gradually it's sinking in that we are actually on our way to Cornwall.

I'm not going to write a long blog tonight as I need to get some decent sleep to be honest, but I thought I would quickly upload a few pictures from our first day.

Richard got 2 punctures today, Ade's seat clamp broke and we had to keep dragging the support car away from the pub to help, but all in all it was a success, with only a few minor teething problems. 

We cycle from Newbury to Bath tomorrow. which is our easiest day, but has our toughest hill at the end. Bring it on!

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

The Last Post Before The Ride - It's The One About My Nan

Hi Guys,

Welcome to the final post before we set off Tomorrow, I thought it would be fitting to conclude by telling you all about probably the most important person in the whole journey.

My Nan is a superstar. She has spent the whole of her life looking after everyone. She is one of the warmest and lovliest people you could ever wish to meet, and I have been so lucky to have her as my Nan.

6 years ago however, she started to suffer heart palpitations, and a shortness of breath for no reason at all. She was admitted to Hospital and we were told that she was suffering from a condition called Atrial Fibrillation. What this means is that your heart rate is irregular. I think of it as a drummer playing a normal beat, keeping the song in time, but then suddenly throwing in a crazy rhythm and then stopping for a minute or two, before playing another completely different rhythm. That isn't going to make the song sound any good, and certainly isn't going to help the rest of the band. I realise that is probably a stupid way of looking at it, but sometimes it helps me to think of things in a more trivial kind of way.

Anyway, she wasn't in a very good state, and none of the medication they were giving her was working for any length of time. Her heart just didn't want to play. It was decided that she should be fitted with a pacemaker, to keep her heart beating at a controlled rate (almost like a drum machine - OK I'll stop with that one now!). She was taken to Kings College Hospital and had the operation, only to be told that it had been unsuccessful. I don't really know how to describe what it feels like to know that your Nan is undergoing major heart surgery and then find out that she needs to have it again, all in the same small period of time. Thankfully though the second operation was a success. She then went through a long period of constant tests and tweaks to regulate her new heart at a comfortable rate and to make sure the medication she was now being given was right too. These tests have continued over the past 6 years, but less frequently once they had everything as they wanted it.

I am so grateful to everyone who helped keep my Nan alive. Irregular heartbeat can easily lead to heart attacks. My Nan's heart rate would skyrocket, and there is obviously only a certain amount of time that anyone will be able to cope with that before your heart says that enough is enough. I can't ever thank those people enough, but by raising money and helping raise awareness of what they do and how incredible an impact that has on both my life and millions of other people's lives is a good start.
Without charities like the British Heart Foundation, research into techniques and technology able to save my Nan's life wouldn't exist in the form that they do now.

My Nan is the start of this journey for me, it was her going into Hospital 6 years ago that sparked a fire inside me that has led me to this point. I set off tomorrow from her house, after giving her a massive hug, with 3 of the most incredible people in the world. I am both daunted and excited.

I hope to be able to keep you all up to date with our progress each night. Fingers crossed we have enough reception!

See you all in Cornwall, and remember to wave at us if you see us.

Lots of Love x

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

London to Brighton - Training Ends In Style

Hi Guys,

With 1 week to go to the start of our ride to Cornwall, the time had come to hit a proper landmark and finish our training in style. Sunday was the perfect opportunity for us to get together as a team (for the very first time) and tackle the famous London to Brighton cycle route.

As with many things over the past few months, things didn't go to plan. Carlos didn't manage to get hold of the bike he will be riding and so wasn't able to join us. Now is probably the time to mention that Carlos hasn't actually ridden a bike since he was a kid. He has done a load of spinning in his gym, and don't get me wrong, he has the fitness, it is just going to come as a shock to him when he is out of his air conditioned room and in the real world on a bike without the aid of a Saturday's video on MTV to stare at. It's going to be interesting to see how he deals with that!

Anyway, the remaining 3 of us headed off to Brighton, from Clapham Common on Sunday morning. Usually at this point in one of my previous blog posts I have a tale of struggle, jeopardy and puncture problems to tell. This time however it was a simple and straight forward ride, over easy terrain, and an easy route to follow.

Ade had done the route before, and had some unfinished business with the daunting hill Ditchling Beacon, a few miles outside of Brighton. On his previous attempt he was forced to walk the final third of hill, although he was on a single gear bike, and to be fair he must have done an incredible job to get to where he did that time. This time however, it was a totally different story. The three of us nailed the hill!

The only issue that we had in fact was that behind us on the hill were a collection of idiots in their cars. I really think that there should be a personality test to go alongside the practical and theory test parts of a driving test. That way, if you are a total moron, you wont get to drive. That would eliminate the kind of stupidity that was happening behind us as we cycled up Ditchling Beacon. 

I'm not going to dwell on this too much as I've had enough of a rant in the past about bad drivers, special mentions however should go out to the Subaru weaving and overtaking everything, including other cars at some crazy speed (we are talking about a narrow, winding and steep country lane) and also the fat balding middle aged man in the creamy-goldish coloured convertible who decided to shout abuse at us as he cut us up, this was after a good few minutes of incessant beeping on his horn. I wish he had stopped at the car park at the top, as I had some opinions of my own to pass on to him . . . . . what an idiot!

We cruised into Brighton at 1:40pm, satisfied with what we had done, how we had worked as a team and filled with excitement for the adventure that awaits us next week.

We are on our final push for sponsorship, so please visit www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit or text RIDE76 to 70070 to donate £5. We are so grateful to everyone who has sponsored us so far, we will do you all proud, and it's your support that will help to keep us going through the tough times that lay ahead for us.

I've got one last post to write before we go, so thanks for reading everything so far. I have loved this experience and hope that you have been kept entertained too. Speak to you soon.

Inspiration: My Grandfather

This journey ends at my Nan's house in St. Day, Cornwall for a very special reason. it holds great significance to the work of the charity we are raising money for.

My Nan was married to a brilliant man. William Randall was the life and soul of my family, and I wish I had been able to meet him. He died before I was born after suffering a heart attack. As I mentioned in my last post, The British Heart Foundation was set up to help fund research and schemes to keep more people alive who suffer major heart and circulation problems, keeping families together for longer.

My Nan used to live about 20 minutes away from my other Grandparents, but she moved down to Cornwall in 1997. Had she not have moved, this would be the easiest cycle ride in the world! Amongst other things, being in Cornwall holds many special memories for my Nan. Memories of family holidays with my Grandfather. It is also my favourite place in the world, and alot of the reason for that probably stems from the affection that both my Nan and my Dad have for those times they all spent in Cornwall. I love hearing all the old stories and looking through all the pictures of those holidays.

I may never have met my Grandfather, but he is still a big part of who I am, and who I am inspired to be.
I know he'll be watching over us on our journey, and i'll be thinking of him too.

Our Charity - The British Heart Foundation

Hi Guys,

I thought it was about time I told you a few things about the charity we have chosen to support on our cycle ride.

The British Heart Foundation was set up 50 years ago in an attempt to deal with the increasing cases of death caused by heart problems. This meant extra funding for research, diagnosis, treatment, care and prevention of cardiovascular and circulatory disease.

Numbers of cases are now falling slowly, but you will be astonished by the figures.
Heart Disease is the UK's biggest killer, with over 180,000 victims in 2009.
It accounts for 1 in 5 male, and 1 in 8 female deaths including 28% of premature male deaths and 20% of premature female deaths.
The UK suffers 124,000 heart attacks every year.
1.5 million people living in the UK today have suffered a heart attack and 2.7 million people are living with Coronary Heart Disease.
In 2006, 266 million prescriptions were written for heart medication. This amounts to a cost of £510 million per year.
1 in 145 babies are born with Congenital Heart Disease. This is a heart abnormality, some cases are easily treatable but others sadly aren't.

Although the figures are slowly reducing, this is a massive amount of people, and a massive cost to our already overburdened health service too.
The British Heart Foundation is working to educate people on healthier lifestyles to help reduce the risk of heart disease. Anyone who knows me will know how much of an issue this is to me. I am a huge lover of the work Jamie Oliver does in trying to help people eat better food, cook healthier and understand the effect of what we put into our bodies. I'm not saying that unhealthy eating is the cause of heart disease, but looking after your body with your diet is hugely important. It reduces the risk of developing heart disease and can also protect your heart if you do have problems.

The British Heart Foundation's "Mend A Broken Heart" campaign is all about ground breaking research into finding a way to heal the heart once it has been damaged by a heart attack. This is an incredible research programme is something that would change the lives of millions of people around the world. The aim is to have treatment in place in less that 10 years which could allow hearts to "re-grow" the parts of them that have been damaged. That sounds incredible to me.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, my Nan (the one at the start of the ride!) has been fitted with a pacemaker. She has regular checks to make sure it is working properly, at the right speed and that her blood is flowing freely around her body. I am so lucky and grateful that she has been kept alive. Without work being done into researching the causes and the way to prevent and treat heart problems, she wouldn't be here. I feel so strongly about the work of the British Heart Foundation in keeping people alive and helping to avoid future problems. Heart disease has the possibility to affect all of us. It doesn't just affect the old, or the unhealthy. It can be a condition you are born with. If we can help with the work done by the British Heart Foundation by raising as much money as possible we could change lives, improve lives and save lives.

Please visit our justgiving page, if we all do a little individually, then together we could make a big difference.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit or text RIDE76 to 70070 to donate £5

For more information, have a look at www.bhf.org.uk it's incredible. I could have written so much more, and I hope that I've done justice to the cause in what I have written.

Thanks for reading.

The Exception To The Rule

Hi Guys,

I wanted to share a small miracle with you all.

On my training ride on Sunday, I was going up a hill with cars parked either side. There was a white van man coming the other way, but instead of trying to run me off the road, or force me to stop and start on the hill, he pulled into a gap and let me through! He even called out "go on mate . . . . . Yeah!" as I went past.

It put a big smile on my face, especially after my last experience with white van men. I enjoyed the encouragement too, so if you see us going past you on our ride to Cornwall, remember to shout kind words and wave at us. We promise to wave back!

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit or text RIDE76 to 70070 to donate £5

Crazy White Van Men

Hi Guys,

Just a quick post as I've just come in from my training ride today and need to get something out in the open, as it shocked the life out of me.

There I was, riding along, minding my own business, just caught up with another cyclist, when a white van man flying down the road almost clips both me and the guy in front of me. I shout "woahhhhh" and the other guy throws the van a "v" sign. We then catch up with the van after a set of traffic lights and the man in the passengers seat flicks his jumper out of the window in an attempt to knock both of us off our bikes. He only just missed the other guy and was pretty close to hitting me too.
A few choice words were exchanged and I then turned off as thats how my circuit goes.

How stupid can some people be? And how completely unaware of how dangerous it is to purposefully knock someone down. I can't quite believe it.

Anyway, that's enough about that. White Van Men just have no intention of breaking stereotypes do they.

Two and a half weeks to go now, keep sponsoring us if you can.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit or text RIDE76 to 70070 to donate £5

Inspiration: Stephen Gately

I am so happy that I got to meet Stephen Gately. He had an energy about him that would just light up a room. He passed away from a rare undiagnosed heart condition in 2009. We ride for the British Heart Foundation to raise money to aid research and treatment for these types of conditions. One of the things I'll be thinking about to help me through the tough times on the way to Cornwall will be Stephen.

Above is the video for the last Boyzone single to feature his vocals. Gave It All Away is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful man. I miss you Stephen, thank you for all the joy and happiness you bought me.

Inspiration: Lance Armstrong

Hi Guys,

Have a watch of this superb Nike advert from a couple of years ago.

Lance Armstrong is a hero of mine, and a massive inspiration to me.

He came back from being diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer to win the 

Tour de France a record 7 times in a row.

It won't surprise anyone that I have been training in Livestrong gear, and will also be wearing it on the ride.

I really wanted to do as much as I can to help as many people as possible. 

All profits from Livestrong clothing and equipment go towards the Lance 

Armstrong Foundation, helping cancer patients.

Cancer affects everyone, both directly and indirectly. We need to do as much as we can to help beat it.

Visit www.livestrong.org for further information.

Route Planning

Hi Guys,

I wanted to share this with you as it's probably the coolest thing I have ever seen.

After my training ride with my good mate David today, we mapped our route onto mapmyrun.com, and found a fantastic function linking it to google earth, giving you a 3D flyover of what you have just done.

It was so impressive that I decided to do it for the route to Cornwall. 

The video below is the route for the last day, from a place called Tintagel to my Nan's house in St.Day. If you've got a few minutes to spare have a look, I think it's pretty amazing.

Thanks for all the sponsorship, we've less than a month to go so please do visit www.justgiving.com if you haven't yet.

And then there were 4 - Sad News

Hi Guys,

It is with great regret and sadness that I have to announce that Chris has been forced to pull out of the cycle ride. Unfortunately he has been booked into anti-natal classes at the same time and has been unable to move them.

I would like to say a huge thanks to Chris for helping to get this cycle ride in motion, and ironically for setting the dates with me. Thanks also for the brilliant advice and help you've given me, you will be riding with us in spirit and although we will be a poorer team without you, we will be better off with the knowledge you've passed down.

If anyone has sponsored us specifically for Chris and would like to have their money back then let me know.

Once again, a huge thanks to Chris. I am gutted you wont be there mate, but bring on 2012.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit or text RIDE76 to 70070 to donate £5

Time to Rant - Episode 2

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to episode 2 of my occasional but ongoing series about things I am having to deal with, but could do without, during my training for the ride to Cornwall.

This post could easily have been dedicated to the man (I say man, that wasn't the word I used at the time) driving a blue mercedes who almost killed me this week in Balham. I decided against that though, as the thought of it makes me very angry, and I would rather this stays a little lighter than that!

• Other Cyclists

Now when I say other cyclists, I am not meaning the vast majority of cyclists who know how to ride properly and safely. I am talking about the ones who give the rest of us a bad name.
Unfortunately there is a common perception of cyclists being a menace on the roads. Of course I have witnessed people flying out into the roads, dodging traffic, not signaling, riding on pavements, not having any lights, talking on their phones and weaving all over the place, not paying attention to traffic lights across junctions and the craziest thing of all, riding without a helmet. I don't want to seem naive, but I genuinely believe that this is a minority of people. If you happen to be one of these cyclists, please understand that a lot of the rage directed at the rest of us happens because of you. It creates a horrible and unsafe atmosphere, and accidents are caused because we don't have enough respect as road users.

There are however, a few other things that cause me a certain amount of annoyance on a day to day basis, that are done by cyclists who ride in a perfectly safe way, they just seem to get on my nerves.

Firstly I would like other cyclists to smile a bit more. I've already mentioned in the post about my yellow jacket story that people seem to be unwilling to engage with anyone else when they stop at traffic lights and junctions. I asked a guy on a bike the other day which exit he was taking off a roundabout, as I was going to sit the correct side of him and make life easier as we pulled away, but I got back nothing!
I think that this is probably a London thing, as anytime I have cycled anywhere else everyone is lovely and smiley. Lighten up London.

I also have a problem with people who I've overtaken, pulling up to a set of lights where I've been held up, and sitting in front of me. It just wastes everybody's time! I am clearly faster than you, especially on the Boardman, and it must end up being a constant dent in your confidence to keep on being overtaken.

I cannot stand anyone cycling on a Boris Bike, they are so heavy and slow that the cycle lanes get clogged up. I also think that Boris Bikes should automatically come with a helmet, it seems crazy to me that people chug around the centre of London on these things without any sort of protection. The roads are not a safe place, and your head needs protecting.

Lastly, I would like to come out of work and find my bike in the position I left it in. More often than not it has been knocked over and is hanging all askew by it's lock. I manage to get it in the cycle rack without disturbing anyone else's bike, so why can't other people do the same?

I think that is enough venting for now as I can feel myself tensing up!

I'll be back in a few days with an update on the rest of the team. At the moment I am the only member of the team with a fully working suitable bike, but I will elaborate on that in the next post!

Keep sponsoring us, we have had an amazing amount of support in the last couple of weeks. It really inspires the training, so a massive thankyou to all of you.

www.justgiving.com or text RIDE76 to 70070 to donate £5

HairyHand T-Shirt

Hi Guys,

I just wanted to share with you the t-shirts that we will be wearing on the ride.

They were designed by my cousin Scott, who has his own design company called HairyHand.
I think he has done a fantastic job, and I am so grateful to him for lending his considerable talent to us.

Also I wanted to point you all in the direction of his website www.hairyhand.co.uk and maybe there is something he could do for you.

Anyway, thanks again matey. I love them and you are a legend.

Beautiful Disaster

Hi Guys,

A bit of an epic post this one, but it was an epic ride. Enjoy!

Anyone following me on twitter, or anyone who sees my facebook updates would have seen me mention my mate Norman's cycle ride along the Kennet and Avon Canal between Reading and Newbury.
Well this took place on Saturday 25th June and it was my intention to take some, if not all of my cycling team as a training/bonding exercise.

Things, however, didn't quite go to plan!

Carlos had to work in the morning, and then abseil off a 500ft building in the afternoon . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ade, who had just done some "drunk ebaying" and bought himself a carbon time trial bike, was selling his original awesome road bike, and so didn't have anything to ride. 

Chris was entertaining for the weekend, meaning he had people over, not that he is boring the rest of the time! (sorry Chris I couldn't help that one!)

Richard on the other hand, was totally up for it. He also had the brilliant idea that we should meet up early in the morning and cycle all the way to Norman's start point in Reading. We decided to meet outside Putney Station at 6:30am on Saturday, that would give us 4 hours to cycle the 50 miles (near enough) to get there before the end of the registration time.

I arrived in the light drizzle of a dank morning at 6:30 and waited for Rich. Now I've know Richard for a long time and it didn't surprise me when 6:45 came along and he still wasn't there. I did however start to get a little concerned at 7 o'clock when he still wasn't there so I decided to cycle the 30 second journey down to the tube station, just in case we had our wires crossed and were in 2 different places waiting for each other . . . . we weren't, but by the time I cycled back, there he was.

Yes he had left late, but he had then been caught up in major roadworks and been on a massive diversion, and really only made it to Putney by pure luck. He had also been pulled over by the police after running a red light at a completely empty junction. He knows he was in the wrong, but was then annoyed to see the police car do exactly the same thing at the next set of lights, after they had finished with him.   

We set off with the intention of following the route of day 1 of the ride to Cornwall. This follows National Cycle Route 4 out of London and all the way to Reading. I had printed out a route map and although it didn't cover much else apart from the route line, I didn't think we would have any problems. A few weeks earlier, I was reading a blog by some people who had cycled to Cornwall following the route that we were taking. They had described the terrain and the signage as good, so I was pretty confident that this was going to be a simple exercise in navigation by following a little number 4.
We encountered our first problem after exiting Richmond Park at the wrong gate. This was completely my fault and I take full responsibility, although there are 2 hospitals at 2 different gates, and it was early in the morning. Anyway, after doubling back after a few miles along the wrong road we were back on track.

Our next problem was rather more major.
After hitting the River Thames at Hampton Court, the cycle path quickly became a gravelly track. This would have been no problem at all on a mountain bike with huge fat tyres. We were of course on our road bikes. It didn't look good, so we decided to try and make our way using roads running alongside the cycle path. This sounds like a great idea, only the roads don't quite work like that! My map had now become useless, as anything 500 metres either side of the cycle path didn't exist on it.
I then got a puncture, my 5th of the year, but the 3rd in the same amount of weeks. No worries in changing it, I am becoming quite the expert, but it cost us even more time. Time was something we were running out of.

We followed the road signs as best we could. Richard asked another cyclist if we were on the right road to get to Windsor as we were overtaking her. She replied "sort of" which was good enough for us.
We were destined to get lost, and we did. Having to keep doubling back on ourselves, costing us more time and racking up more miles in the process.

Norman phoned me as we were going through Egham to see where we were. He was going to delay the start of the ride for us, but quickly changed his mind when he found out where we were!

We continued to snake our way across towards Windsor and entered the Great Park. I really enjoyed cycling through the park, as we used to go for walks with my Aunty Lyn up to the polo field when I was a kid. Richard on the other hand was getting hungry. We left the park at 11:15. 4 hours after we set off from Putney, and 45 minutes later than Norman's ride had started. It was decision time.

We didn't have a good enough map, we were late, we had no idea of how long it would take us to get to Reading, let alone Newbury and then there was the whole journey in reverse to think about.  The decision was a tough one, because we didn't want to let Norman down, but at the same time we were still a long way from getting to him. I phoned to tell him we weren't going to make it, and eventually I spoke to him. He was at the first rest point on the ride eating cake and muffins. I was gutted not to have been able to make it to see him and his lovely wife Hilary, who was very keen for me to know that she was on her bike, but I promise I will next year. I will also make sure I eat lots of cakes and muffins along the way too, as by the sounds of it they were delicious. I was also gutted that we didn't get to arrive in a blaze of glory after cycling all the way from London to get to the start point, but that can wait until next year too.

Our journey home was relatively simple. We stopped for some food at a little cafe on the River, where Richard ordered pretty much everything on the menu, and proceeded to devour it all. I haven't been around Richard for this amount of time for a while, and it amazes me the amount of food he packs away. He is going to need a support car all to himself, filled to the top with food to keep him going, on the ride to Cornwall! It made a huge difference though, and the pace we then kept up the rest of the way back was pretty quick. I got another puncture going through Kingston, just to give me even more practice after hitting a pot hole.
Richmond Park was gorgeous in the sunshine that had now decided to join us, and the deer had come out to see us too. It was like the scene in Jurassic Park where they see all the dinosaurs for the first time.
If only there had been a Stegosaurus on the horizon, I would have been in heaven!

After going our separate ways through Clapham, I got home and decided to try and work out how far we had been. It was obviously quite hard because of all the times we had to track back, but it worked out at just over 100 miles. It was a massive number for us, and made it all worth it. We didn't achieve what we wanted to in terms of getting to Reading and then Newbury. We found out that our proposed route isn't going to work, leaving us having to do alot more prep work to find the right roads to cycle on. I need to buy yet more inner tubes, and also need to start carrying latex gloves to stop my hands looking like those of a chimney sweep every time I get a puncture. Richard needs to stay the right side of the law, and carry even more food than he already does. But we did hit the magic distance of 100 miles, in a decent time too. We had a brilliant time cycling with each other, and learned so much from the mistakes we made.
It might have been a disaster, but there were so many things about it that will help us on our ride to Cornwall . . . . . . it was a beautiful disaster.

Thanks for all the support, keep the sponsorship coming.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit or text RIDE76 to 70070 to donate £5

Just Giving Free Text Service

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick post - no ranting today, to tell you about a brilliant new service from the guys at justgiving.com
who are in charge of our online fundraising page.

It's called Just Text Giving and is fantastic.

It's the easiest way to sponsor us and to donate to the British Heart Foundation. All the money you donate will go straight to the charity.

All you need to do is text RIDE76 to 70070 and £5 will be donated. How simple is that?!

So get texting and i'll be back with a training update next week.

Time to Rant - Episode 1

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the slightly longer time gaps appearing between blog posts, I am all over the place at the moment, and haven't had time to sit down and write anything recently. 

As the title suggests, the time has come for me to have a little rant about a few things that I have come across and also had to deal with whilst training for this cycle ride. Don't get me wrong, I am loving the training, but sometimes it can be either frustrating or down right dangerous having to so some of it in London.

This is the first installment of an ongoing series, so be warned, if you aren't lovely to me then you might find yourself a subject of one!

• Drivers

I guess it was the obvious one to start with, but probably the worst thing about cycling on the roads in London is that you have to share them with some of the most aggressive and inconsiderate drivers in the country. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have nearly been knocked down by drivers who choose not to see me. It's like my bright yellow clothes, luminous yellow bag and my super bright cycle lights actually make me less visible!

I was hit by a white van man in December, and although I escaped unharmed it has made me very wary of ever being hit again. I'm not one of those crazy risk taking cyclists - I know how fragile and exposed  I am and it's not worth taking a crazy chance and ending up with a serious injury, if not worse.

Drivers also seem to be unaware that a big bold blue line painted on the road and has bikes on it, is actually a cycle lane. Poor lane discipline is dangerous when cars drift into your cycle lane, and then seem shocked that you were cycling there once they have nearly hit you. I would love to know where they expect me to be.

Cycle lanes in this country are a bit of a joke though and it's pretty stupid to let cars park in them, as you are forced into constantly sweeping out into the road. In Paris (so Andrew Castle mentioned in his commentary of the French Open the other week) there is an actual physical barrier between the cyclists and the motorists. Someone would have to be pretty determined to hit you on a cycle lane in Paris!

So please motorists, have awareness as to what is going on around you. I pay my road tax, I have every right to be there, I spent alot of money on things to help you see me and I don't really deserve to be shouted at by boy racers who might have to wait a couple of seconds before overtaking me.
Please allow me to train in relative safety.


Remember, I am going through all of this to benefit the British Heart Foundation. Please donate if you can - it really makes a huge difference.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

Speak to you soon x

The thing about Cornish roads . . . .

Hi Everyone,

I was in Cornwall last week, seeing my wonderful Nan and going over a few of the route options for the final day of the cycle ride. It was fantastic to see my Nan, who I haven't been able to see since Christmas. She might be a little concerned as to the madness that will descend onto her as this cycle journey reaches her in just over 2 months time, but I've told her that it's all under control. I don't know if she believed me or not!

Because I was down there, I decided to have a look at the route for the final day. Most of the way we will be following a national cycle route, but I have to work out how to get from that route over to where my Nan lives, in a sleepy little village called St Day.
The thing about Cornish roads is that they never seem to go where you want them to, sure the main A roads might do, but that doesn't always make for the most interesting or fun of rides. My main problem is that I will never be able to convince the rest of the team that it'll be more fun going on the smaller roads which snake across the countryside rather than the direct A road for as far as possible. To be honest, I say the rest of the team, I might have a job convincing my legs that it's a good idea too!

I have managed to reach a happy compromise, and I hope to post the details of the whole route very soon.

The date of the ride is creeping ever closer, and being down in Cornwall, seeing where we will be cycling has made it all the more real. The couple of hills that I ran up during my early morning run however, have made it all the more daunting.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

Here Comes A New Challenger!

Hi Guys,

Great news! We have a new member of our riding team.

Richard Bushnell has been my friend forever, since the days of wearing little grey tracksuits and attending our local Beavers (do whatever you like with that statement!). He is an inspirational person and I am so happy that he is joining our team.
Richard and I know each other inside out. Together we have climbed mountains, kayaked over white water rapids, walked 50 miles in under 24 hours and abseiled down the White Cliffs of Dover.
The problem is that all of those things happened in the 90's - so this new challenge for the both of us has been a very long time in coming around.

In 2000, Richard had a very serious ski-ing accident and after waking from a coma was told that he would probably never walk again. I am sure he wont mind me telling you that he pretty much told the "expert" doctors where to go, and from that moment it was his mission to prove them wrong. He was in a very bad way, but they didn't know him like I know him. The rest of the story is really his to tell you, and to be honest I could never do it justice. All I can say is that Richard is an inspiration. His life has moved on from the accident in a way that is beyond a miracle. He is super fit, super healthy and will destroy all of us with his drive and desire to get to Cornwall first.

From my point of view, Richard joining our team has a huge significance. We have always been a strong team, especially when the going gets tough, and this challenge is going to be really tough. Knowing that Richard will be there has bought Watergate Bay a whole lot closer.

Welcome to the team buddy!

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

Breathless and Wheezy - Training Update

Hi Guys,

Apologies for taking a little while to add this new post, I haven't been too well over the last week.

The Easter Bunny didn't bring me an Easter Egg this year, instead I got a nasty cough and a chest infection.
As a consequence, I haven't been able to train, as any use of my lungs has left me breathless and wheezing. I was described last Monday as a shadow of my former self. I am on the mend now, and will be back out on the road very soon.

It's not all been bad news though, as I have been able to spend more time in planning the logistics of our ride. I have been breaking the journey down into stages and have been looking for accommodation in places at the end of each day. Anyone who owns a house along the route, which I will post once it's finalised, and doesn't mind  our little team staying with them please give me a shout!
I have also been in contact with our charity The British Heart Foundation, who have been amazing with their help and support. I am expecting to have some sponsorship forms, posters and collection boxes sent to me sometime in the next couple of weeks.
I am also contacting various companies who might want to help us or sponsor us, so again, if you are involved in that world and can possibly help us then please let me know. I have so send a personal thankyou to the wonderful Tony White for his superb suggestion, cheers buddy!

Thanks again to everyone for all of your support, It really helps to know that so many people are behind us.

Keep donating on the justgiving page, we could make a huge difference with this.
http://www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

Norman

Hi Guys,

Thanks again for the love towards the blog. It's great to know that people are reading and enjoying it.

I wanted to say a few words about a man who has been a huge part of my life, and although he probably never realised it, has always been someone I've looked up to.

Norman Pitcher has been part of my life ever since I was born. He is my Dad's best mate and the man who taught me how to dribble with a football . . . . but I'll let him tell you that story. I am now lucky enough to consider him one of my mates too, although that means I have had to stop calling him "Uncle Norm", but I'm sure he prefers it this way.

Every year Norman organises a 100 mile cycle ride from Reading to Poole to raise money for the RNLI.
He has always asked me to take part and join his team, but I have always had to refuse due to other commitments. 2012 looks good for me though, so fingers crossed nobody else decides to get married and invite me. (this is a joke - of course I would love to come!)
Having to turn him down this year was the catalyst in organising my own ride, without which I wouldn't be writing this blog - so I guess it was a good thing after all.
Norman has been a massive help to me over the past few months. His experience and advice has been invaluable. I know that reaching the end point of this challenge is all the more achieveable because of him. I really can't say a big enough thankyou.

Norman has started his own blog which can be found at the following address

http://normanfuncycling.blogspot.com

Have a read, he is a great man, and a huge inspiration to me.

And don't forget to sponsor me and the team, we need your support to hopefully raise loads of money for the British Heart Foundation.

http://www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit

The Yellow Jacket Story . . . .

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would tell you all a story.

One evening in December I was out on my bike. Like everyone else I was on my way home from work. I pulled up at some traffic lights along the cycle super highway in Balham.
I was joined by some other cyclists, probably about 6 or 7 and a little smile appeared across my face. Being a dark winter evening everyone was wearing their bright yellow cycling jackets for visibility and I just couldn't help myself.
"This is a bit embarrassing" I said boldly, "All of us out in the same clothes"
Silence . . . . nothing . . . . .  not a word, not even a smile. Everyone was just stoney faced waiting for the lights to change.
I pulled away in complete shame.

Please visit www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit and donate to the British Heart Foundation.

Sunshine Happiness - Training update

Hi Guys,

What beautiful weather we've been having over the last few days, it really makes a difference to my training.
I have been out in pretty much every type of weather over the last few months - I hated the combination of sleet and snow the most , but this makes it all worth it.

Last weekend, Ade and I faced our biggest training challenge so far, by taking on the North Downs over towards Woking as part of an Evans Cycles Sportive. There are lots of these rides orgainsed each year, and they each contain 3 different routes based on distance. We chose to take on the 60 mile route, which was further than either of us had ever cycled in one day before. The reality was however that with riding to the station, and then from the station to the event centre, and back again, we both hit the 75 mile mark.
We both loved it! It was the first time we had ever been out on our bikes together, the first real test for our road bikes, and the first time we would know how hard our challenge in cycling to Cornwall was going to be.
Because this was an organised ride, we didn't have to worry about where we were supposed to go. The little pink signs with the black arrows at every junction did all that for us. I wonder if we could make our own ones, and get our support car to put them out for us at the start of each day? (what do you reckon Dad?!) We were also treated with bananas, fresh water and some of the best cake you've ever eaten, at the 2 checkpoints along the route.
The ride itself was great, we made a fast start and flew past anyone who fell into our sights over the first 25 miles. Immediately after we left the first checkpoint I got a puncture in my rear wheel. It was good practice, as I'm sure we'll have loads to deal with on the challenge, but it wasn't the "lucky puncture" Ade had before he left his house in the morning.
The middle section of the ride was tougher, a few more hills and some long roads that dragged on without much to look at. We were both very glad to see the sign for the 2nd checkpoint, which meant more cake and a chance to get our early form back.
The final stage was quite a long one, there were a couple of steep hills to climb, but for the most part we were heading downhill. A quick stop to have the Tropical Engery Gel we had been given at the start, and then we kicked for home. I tried to ride the last 12 miles like I was Lance Armstrong, and I think I did as best I could. There weren't so many people to overtake as there had been in the early stages, but we were definately back in our groove.
We finished in a time of 4 hours 42 minutes and 29 seconds, but that had included our 3 stops for refreshments and my puncture. Our riding time was closer to 4 hours 10 minutes.
We had a well needed burger from the BBQ, another piece of cake and a nice chat with Norman Pitcher (I'll tell you all about him another time) before we headed off home.
On the train home, shattered and wondering how on earth we were going to ride back from the station, it dawned on us how much fun we had just had, how much we had learned and how hard our bodies had worked - but you know what? That was the moment I was happiest, that was when I knew how tough this challenge was going to be, but how incredible it was going to feel going over that final hill and into the descent to Watergate Bay.
We are going to have to work so hard between now and then, but through all that pain will come the most amazing reward, but not just for the 4 of us.

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit