Our Charity

Our Charity

Sunday 16 January 2011

A Rainy Day.


It was a cold and stormy night! Only joking 

We agreed to meet at the kingfisher for 10 am. The road was wet but didn't look like it was going to rain. (this is feeling like a statement!)

We were all dressed top to toe in our finest high vis cycling thermals. Carey and Paul were a bit unnerved about Dave and I having road bikes whilst they were journeying on hybrids. And because of that Paul decided I should go up front and tackle the head winds with my lightweight bike. Its very strange being up front. I was always conscious of the pack being right behind me and me holding them up. So on the first hill I put the power down. At the top of the hill I turned round to see these Floresent specs about 200m back! 

At a lay-by, around 4 miles we stopped to grab our breath. For most of us this was our first descent outing for weeks. We had all cycled to the Kingfisher Pub, which was on average 4 miles away from each persons home. 

Our route kept us on the A449. A very busy road that gets narrow at points and is regularly used by trucks. It was good practise for the main event! 
Motley Crew
Once our breath was caught, we continued with me stuck up the front again. However, we agreed that if Dave and I did notch up a bit of a lead, we would wait for Carey and Paul at the top of the next hill. 

Just as we came into Kidderminster, we passed a dog walker with one of those yappy lap dogs. It barked for all it was worth as I went past. But as I later found out, it seemed to go that mad when the other 3 went passed that it pulled its owner to the floor! Dave stopped briefly to check she was ok, to which she was. 
Looking good Paul
We'd spent about an hour the previous night texting each other deciding where to meet and what time. However, we hadn't decided exactly where we were going in Kidderminster. I'd been there just before xmas and knew of a McDonald's just off the ring road, with seating outside. So that was our destination. We cruised into Kiddy after around 45 mins. We had kept to the 12 mph average which Tris and Dave had worked out that's what's required to keep on target on the End2End. We parked the bikes up outside and went in for a drink. We resisted the urge for a Big Mac! We discussed that the 12 mph average seems easy to keep to, however, doing it day after day for nearly two weeks may not be as easy as it sounds. 


Dave, is that the fabled Pinarello?
We rested up for around half an hour before setting off on the return leg. I started off at the back but soon found myself at the front again as the others couldn't remember the way out of Kiddy! Its a good job I'll be in charge of the sat nav come the event! 

We were making a good pace and had got back as far as the stew pony junction, Then when the lights turned green, out of nowhere, Carey headed to the front with some blistering pace! The three of us were left stunned! About 10 minutes later it started to rain. It was quite heavy for a time. We realised that Carey must've had some rain predicting device with him and had decided that he didn't want to get wet! 
Carey, Paul and Dave
Dave and Paul peeled off just before the Kingfisher and I went my separate way shortly after. Those last 20 minutes or so were hard. I think the combination of tiredness and cycling solo really took its toll. The returning heavy rain didn't help either! A total cycling time of 2.5 hours and nearly 33 miles covered by myself left me truly shattered! I'd seriously miscalculated thinking I would only cover 20 or so miles! Oh well got a couple of days to recover before work.
From John......
Cheers for the invite Guys!!!!
I felt so guilty after reading this that I went out into the rainy evening and did 23 miles myself. I can't believe that Dave took his most prized possession off the wall of his garage! For those who don't know, I'm talking about his Pinarello bike!
Tris 

Tuesday 11 January 2011

The First Injury!!!

Well who would have thought it that I (Tris) would have suffered the first injury of our training. "How did this happen?" I hear you ask. Well if you are sitting comfortably I will begin.

It all started on a cold and blustery morning. Sounds familiar, right? I decided it would be a perfect day to ride to work and get on top of some of those hundreds of training miles that I know I am going to have to do. (Dave are you hearing this? You might even have unwrap your bike from it's cotton wool!)

Although it was a struggle against hurricane strength winds and I was soaked through I had made the 14 miles to Castle Gate in what was proving to be a record time. As a law abiding cyclist I even stopped for the red light on the island and waited whilst trying not to peer back at the 'White Van Man' alongside me that must have found me the most interesting thing in the world given all the interest he was giving me.

As I set of I went to clip my left foot into my pedal and 'crunch' my foot slipped and the pedal smashed me in the shin. Did it hurt? Well it hurt that much all I could do was let out a low moan and look on in dismay as the van driver laughed all the way past me.

I managed to limp up Castle Hill and get to work where no sympathy was shown to me by my fellow Team mates. Cheers guys....

Just if you're interested here's a picture...
Can I just say that it hurt a lot and was worse than it looks on the picture. So hard in fact that I broke the cleat on the bottom of my shoe!


Sponsorship


Can I please say a massive thank you to two local companies that have just pledged their support for the logistical side of the ride. Both Dudley Building Society and Dudley Motor Company have been sweet talked by the "Daddy" of the Wrens Nest (Paul, in case you didn't know). Before they knew what had happened they had shaken hands with Paul and sold their souls to the Team. So thanks again.

But thats not to forget those local companies that have already given support. The Black Country Museum, The Village Hotel and Dudley Zoo.

Thanks for reading and if you like what you see please donate on our JustGiving page. It's all in a good cause.



Sunday 2 January 2011

The New Year!!

Well the New Year has arrived and the thought that in only a few short months we will be be struggling to cycle 1000 miles. Even the thought hurts.

For the four riders of the challenge we are now starting to get the old legs moving and begin our training. For some that means that we will be cycling to work a lot more often. (I meant to this morning but slept in!) For others in the team (Paul) that means starting a diet. Though just how long that will last is anyone's guess. I give it a week........

Over the next few weeks and months this blog will evolve with pictures being added and I and others will update the posts as often as we can to let you know how our preparations are going for the big challenge.

As you may be aware we are cycling the End2End challenge in July of this year. This is 1000 miles long and takes us from Land's End, Cornwall to John O'Groats all the way at the top of Scotland. We are doing this to raise money for the Dudley Group of Hospitals to buy fold away beds for parents who want to stay with their children overnight whilst they are receiving treatment.

We are a group of Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers that work on the Castle and Priory Neighbourhood Team in Dudley in the West Midlands.

A worthy cause I hope that you all agree. Please visit our Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/castle-wheelers if you would like to make a donation.