Out with the old .... and in with the new

Despite it's sterling efforts the old mountain bike has been starting to live up to its name, quite literally. It has to be said, it has done me proud and (with the exception of a snapped chain at Rutland Water two years ago) has never let me down. Lately though it's developed its own unique automatic gear change, which is not so clever when it makes the wrong choice at crucial uphill points on a ride. If I'm honest, the rust is building up a bit  too (I never have been big on bike maintenance) and if I were to add that the Schwalbe Marathon + tyres probably double the value of the machine, then you'll probably understand where I'm coming from!  So, time for a change and off to the LBS (local bike shop in long hand) in search of a replacement, namely a shiny new Trek DS8.2 2013, complete with 29" wheels.

The old bike is heading for warmer climes though, Africa in all probability, as the plan is to donate it to a local charity who refurbish bikes for export to the Third World.

New bike duly collected and awake to sunshine and blue skies, Sunday seemed a great day to test drive ride it.

Have to say, probably the flatest route we've ever ridden. Okay so it was never going to build on our hill climbing prowess, but at least it added more miles to the cause .... and, we actually enjoyed every minute of it ..... well almost. Initially we headed out along the quiet back lanes in the direction of St Ives, before picking up the Guided busway, which while a tad boring at times, allowed us to get the first twenty miles out of the way with little or no traffic to hamper our progress. Uncharted territory from there on in though, passing through Cottenham and out into the flat openness of the Fens and Chatteris. I chose the route well (even if I say so myself) with the only really busy road being the relatively short stint along the A142, (which did feel a bit unnerving at times) before heading off along the New Bedford River, although only thirty five miles in, was technically the home stretch.  Things stuck pretty much to plan, with only the occasional need to reference our map, which is also an excellent excuse to nibble a biscuit or two. In an ideal world we'd have extended our ride through the village of Somersham, but in the end the more direct route back into St Ives only robbed us of a couple of extra miles at most. Fifty eight miles and a few hours of sunshine; job done!

Grafham Water ride

Okay so it's been a while since my last blog entry. However, rest assured we've not been sat with our feet up! 

I've always thought the key to successful cycling is to at least enjoy it (well as much as that's possible of course), so we are I admit, a bit picky as to what weather we will venture out in. Bit of light rain and a stiff breeze is okay; torrential rain, particularly if a few miles are involved, is avoided; snow and ice is a non-starter. Also we've neither the time or, to be honest the inclination, to spend every waking hour on our bikes at the weekend. That's not to say, however, that we don't also recognise the potential enormity of the task ahead of us this Summer; being under prepared could be an uncomfortable mistake. Biggest dilemma then has always been trying to strike a happy medium with our preparations.  

In an effort to ramp up the miles a bit, we headed out on a much cycled route which meanders through the back lanes of Cambridgeshire and North/Central Bedfordshire in a loop, taking in scenic Grafham Water before heading home again.  While the day was reasonably dry and sunny, the gusty wind was a real trial. 

Cambs and Beds can be lovely and flat in places; it can also be rather open too! Time and time again, we were surprised by quite stiff cross winds, which could quite easily have thrown us into the deep ditches at the side of the road. I think at times early on,  it had crossed both our minds to question the wisdom of continuing; though not for the first time in our relationship, we didn't actually share these misgivings and so ploughed on!

Thankfully we survived the 11% hill descent between Everton and Tempsford; potentially heart stopping at the best of times, a rogue side wind was something we could've done without. Grafham Water came quickly enough though and before we knew it we were passing through the chocolate box imagery that is Hilton Village.

Perversely, we did actually enjoy the ride, although perhaps some of that was purely down to the fact we'd achieved what we'd set out out to do, by covering a reasonable distance, including a few climbs, for the first time since the Autumn, in what were rather trying conditions. So job done I guess.

Springing into action

Spring almost knocking at the door, it’s high time to dust the cobwebs off the bikes and us, and start to focus on getting some of those miles in readiness for the big ride later in the year.

Tyres inflated, water bottles filled, feet clipped in ... and away we go. Or rather seeing as I’m writing this now post-ride, maybe that should be “away we went”? No matter!! Sunday greeted us with watery sunshine and a nip in the air, which to be honest got nippier as we progressed; but after all, we’re barely out of February.

Plan of action – a seventy kilometre (40 odd miles in old money) ride, taking us out through the country lanes of Connington and Fenstanton, before finally reaching the market town of St Ives, where we left all the cars behind and joined the Guided Busway.  For those who don’t know the area, the Guided Busway is a veritable Cambridgeshire County Council financial white elephant (long story for another day) but it does make for a safe place to cycle while clocking up the miles.

For some, forty miles is no big deal, and to be honest I’d agree. On this occasion it’s a fairly flat ride too. But you have to begin your season somewhere and this was as gentle an introduction as we could get away with. In the coming weeks and months rides will become longer and more regular, as we introduce our muscles to consecutive days in the saddle; for now though it’s a question of reminding the brain what stiff muscles feel like and how numb (in my case) my fingers become when they’re fixed in one position for too long.


Our ride was relatively trouble free. There was some evidence of the flotsam and jetsam washed up after the recent floods, but with a little care we got through it unscathed; before we knew it we’d headed out through Long Stanton and Oakington before reaching Worlds End, better known as Histon village, the place where  the Busway runs out shortly after and our marker point for a quick banana break before we turn around and head back from whence we came.  Highlight of the day, aside of the warm drink when we reached base, was a little boy on a bike, who remarked “Daddy, it’s Bradley Wiggins”! It was probably the yellow shirt that did it; it certainly wasn’t the speed I was riding or the haircut!!

Farewell

Last Wednesday marked the day of the funeral and an opportunity for all those whose lives have been touched by Leicester to celebrate his time with us, and yes, to mourn his passing too. Well with not a spare seat to be had in church, they certainly didn't let him down! The day was marked with tears, laughter and plenty of chat; summed up Dad's life perfectly in fact. 

Thanks to all who came and celebrated the final few yards of Leicester's journey of life; one thing is certain, he'll have been pleased to have you along keeping him company.

Leicester's left the building

Not the best of weekends it's fair to say. I could wax lyrically here for page upon page .... but the bottom line is,  Dad's condition deteriorated rapidly during Friday night and the devastation which is MND played its final card; Leicester passed away in his sleep at lunchtime on Saturday. Despite my realism to his health prospects, the end was swifter than I'd anticipated and was obviously a big shock. All a bit surreal at present; just feeling quite numb.

Both Nicki and I had decided to delay launching the link to our Just Giving site until nearer the time. However on reflection, there's probably no time like the present.

If you feel you are in a position to make a contribution, regardless how small, please click on the link:  http://www.justgiving.com/terryroberts23  it will make a difference.

More importantly we ask you to spare a few moments and click onto http://www.mndassociation.org/what-is-mnd/About-MND and learn more about the disease and the people who support those affected by it.

That's it for today I think. Good health folks.

The maps have now arrived ....

The maps have now arrived, so we can start to plan things in a bit more detail. Okay so in some respects I'd jumped the gun already. We planned to complete the ride west coast to east by some point on Day 3 and in order to achieve that, the logical solution was to try and go for an even split in terms of mileage:

Day 1 - Southport to Hadfield

Day 2 - Hadfield to Selby

Day 3 - Selby to Hornsea (and mission accomplished!)  

Barring not too many diversions and wrong turns, that's somewhere in the region of 217 miles.

Dilemma (probably the first of many).

Day One should see us cycle 84 miles. Ordinarily not a problem if it were all on-road for the duration; we've covered that sort of distance (and more) in the past. However the route takes in canal ways, old railway tracks and some off-road stuff, before beginning the climb which will see us reach the highest point of our C2C on Day Two. But just how quickly can we progress; have we bitten off more than we can chew for our first day; crucially can we make "base camp" by nightfall?  You'd think so, but having checked up on the experiences of a few other participants, a little bit of doubt started to set in. With that in mind, we have now decided to begin at first light from Southport. A tough, not to mention early, start, which will give us about thirteen hours riding time; more than enough, surely?  

Let's start at the beginning ......

Not quite sure when it first began for Dad. There was the time back in the winter of 2009 when he became confused and disorientated for a while and the GP thought he’d contracted a “virus” while holidaying in Spain. Then there was his increased distractibility when I tried to engage in conversation or maybe the struggle to put his point across as cogently as he used to.  The number of falls involving bangs to his head and their regularity was one of the bigger concerns of course, but their cause?  Dad getting unsteady on his feet, not paying attention to where he was going perhaps?  All stuff you could put down to old age and the march of Father Time you’d think?  Then there was the trouble swallowing food and more worryingly the choking on far too many occasions for comfort. The palsied appearance of his mouth; the slurred speech.  All definite alarm bells for sure, but as to making headway with the GP and a proper diagnosis, well that bit was a constant uphill struggle for Mum. Inevitably the swallowing problem resulted in a dramatic loss of weight; time for the dietician to be involved which I think was where things changed. A referral to a Neurology Consultant, at last a proper examination and analysis as to the cause of this alarming downturn in Dad’s health.

Deep down we all knew something was wrong and if we were honest, we all knew that things had gone sufficiently far that there was never going to be a return to the Dad we all grew up with. So, cut to the chase; the test results said Motor Neurone Disease, a devastating blow for Dad and the friends and family around him. No turning back, no spoonful of medicine to make it all better; we were talking terminal illness. The general medical consensus, three to five years from start to finish. Okay, Stephen Hawking has dodged that bullet for far longer, but this is the prognosis for most. We don’t truly know when it started, so we don’t really know when it will end now, just a case of enjoying the time we have together and making the best of things.

Reality.  No amount of money is going to change the inevitable for Dad and others currently in the same situation. Funds can help with palliative care, support networks and maybe, just maybe, ground breaking research which will at some point in the future, make a difference to someone else.  So what to do? Raise some cash on behalf of the Motor Neurone Disease Association seemed a logical step. Couple that with a desire to always push the parameters and go as far as I can on that bike of mine. Perhaps I could combine the two? 

So, fast forward from November to the present, and the launch of C2C4MND. On August 1^st  my partner Nicki and I will set off from Southport and ride West to East, coast to coast, to Hornsea; on the Trans Pennine Trail, averaging around seventy miles on and off road over two and a half days.  Okay it’s hardly LEJOG, but it’s the biggest cycle challenge (so far) for the pair of us, and if it means we raise money and awareness for the MNDA along the way, then it will all be worthwhile.

Over the coming months I’ll attempt to post blogs of our training, as ad hoc as I’m sure they will be; maybe even a few photos. And obviously on the ride itself, we plan to post pictures and journal pieces along the way. I’m sure it won’t be all plain sailing riding, but we’ll have some fun and hopefully anyone checking in on our progress will do too.

In the meantime if you do nothing else, please check out:
http://www.mndassociation.org/what-is-mnd/About-MND

A little closer to the time we’ll create  a “justgiving” link  you can also visit if you feel so moved. Your support as well as any spare cash, no matter how small will be much appreciated and will make a difference.

Cheers,

Tez