Getting Ready

Today, probably instead of starting a new Blog, I should be getting ready for the off.

I finally got on my bike to the amusement and sometimes frustration of Y a couple of years ago. He is an avid cyclist. He has cycled since his teens. Sometimes as part of a club, sometimes alone. He is a commissary for regional road cycling events and thinks little of setting out on a short ride of 50 miles or so.

He looks the part...

This year I decided to set myself a challenge and aim to cycle 1000 yes 1000 miles over the year.
We did lots of "short" rides together, getting to places such as the Greystoke Cycle Cafe

Cafe Sign

To help give me the incentive I needed, I asked for sponsorship with all monies raised to be donated to the local Gynaecology / Oncology Department which is a part of the department where i work at the local hospital.

I started in February but did very little owing to the weather. March was a total flop. However with April came some warmer (and dryer) days and the challenge was on...

As of 2 weeks ago the total was sitting at 400 miles.

We set off to ride from home to Kippford on Saturday 14/6/14  to stay overnight before returning home on the Sunday as a practice for our planned trip (more later).

Some funny characters there......

Kippford, definitely worth the effort...


This trip helped to boost the Mileage to 530. Things were looking up and I didn't even manage to fall off this time. ( a few stopped or low speed falls had caused a bit of bruising mostly to my ego over the last few months).

Monday 16/6/14 however brought the charity ride that I had agreed to take part in. The main contenders were starting out an epic journey over several days riding from hospital to hospital in the north of England. One of my colleagues and I were to ride the 40 odd miles from Carlisle to Whitehaven with the others then completing their first day by riding on to barrow in Furness.

I was  a real woose. It was all very fast and i definitely held the others back even with the added support from Y and D. At Aspatria I gave up but eventually D and I carried on through Allonby to Maryport before returning by train to Carlisle.... The upside is now I have completed 568 miles and the Big trip starts on Thursday....