Thank you!!!

A massive thanks to all the people that sponsored me (too many to list) my total currently stands at about £1750!!! got a few more people to collect off!!

Thank you to Grant, for all the support and help and clothing and training and dragging me out of bed when I wanted to give up - Love you!!

Thank you to Graeme, for the bike, the shoes, the socks, the service, the hard training rides!!

Thank you to Malcom for your patience whilst cycling.

Thank you to all the people I met, truly some heart breaking stories, you are all amazing and I am glad to have met you!! i hope we keep in touch!!! (less beer next time though!!)

Day Four - Final Day!!!!

Beauvais - Paris!!!

After Jim (support man) fixing my bike last night - needed to new inner tube and new tyre!! Thank god Grant sent me prepared with lots of spares!! We were ready to go!!

Felt raring to go this morning, the end was in sight - only 55 miles to go!!!

We had a quick water stop at about 10/15 miles! then lunch was at 25 miles, by the River Seine. We had a little walk into the village where we stopped and rewarded ourselves with an Amstel - mmm French beer!!

And then we were off again!!! Only 25 miles to Paris!! through mainly urban areas that were quite busy with traffic!! kids on the path were shouting Allez Allez and Tour De France at us!!!!

We stopped at a park just 5 minutes from the Eiffel Tower had an ice cream and organised ourselves into a convoy and then we were off!!!

Mum and I began crying as we were cycling down the Champs Elysees, we couldn't believe we were nearly there!!! And then the landrover let us go across the road and we all sprinted for the Eiffel Tower!!! We had made it!!!!!

After a very emotional and hard 4 days we were there!! Only 300 miles but the journey of a lifetime!!!

I would like to say Thank you to my mum!! For MAKING me do this!!! I had a great time with you, i can't believe we didn't have a cross word the whole time - so unlike us!! Love You Lots!!!xxxxx

Day Three

RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN!!!

I have nothing more to say about this day really, 68 miles of torrential rain and wind and cycling through sweetcorn fields!! I don't really remember anything good about this day!!!

However - do not think that just coz it's raining you can't get a tan - check out that wind burn!!!!

Hotel was average, we stayed in a Campanile, had to keep our bikes in our rooms, which took up a bit of space!

Had to take a trip to the supermarket to buy newspapers to stuff our shoes as there were puddles in them!!!

Had a random dinner of roast chicken leg, with watery mushroom sauce and spaghetti on the side!! Oh and more tart tartain!! a few beers then off to bed!!

Oh and I meant to say on Day two - I fell off!!!Luckily I was coming to a stop when it happened but I have a scabby knee and loads of bruises!!!

Day Two

Calais to Abbeville. 80 miles(ish)

We woke up at 7am and dragged ourselves out of bed and down to breakfast. Everyone gathered outside the hotel for our briefing, things would be better today as there was no time limits, no ferry to catch or wait around for!

So off we set. Legs took a while to get going and I was a bit worried about the black cloud in the distance. I needn't have worried though, soon the sun came out and we were cycling through beautiful French villages, following streams and tree lined avenues.

There was a water stop at about 23 miles, funnily enough there was a hill first! We soon learnt that Hill = Refreshment!!

So when we approached approx 45 miles and we knew lunch should be soon, we saw a long hill in front of us. So heads down, a*ses up, we ploughed up the hill, not stopping to walk and congratulated ourselves heartily at the top. then we passed Stan (the 64 year old rider who put us all to shame) coming down the hill!!! He said there were no orange markers at the crossroads. We carried on anyway - just to check and sure enough - no orange makers. So mum phoned Jim, the support guy who didn't really seem to know where we were and I consulted the map...upon which I discovered that there was a small left turn we should have taken...AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL!!!! Oh well a few extra miles won't kill us, we hoped!!! So back down the hill we went, turned down the track we'd missed (stupid orange markers!!) and lunch was just there!!!

So more tea, pasta and chocolate cake and a sit in the sun!! Then after borrowing a bit of sudocrem (saddle sore is not nice!!) we were off again!!!

Another water stop at about 60 miles and then to Abbeville!!! Hoorah!!! This elation lasted until we checked into our rooms at the Ibis!!! Now I know I am a hotel snob but seriously...a single bed, smaller than student accomodation, half a bath, I could only just straighten my legs in it, to wash my hair I had to stick my legs up the wall!!!

The good thing though was that dinner and drinks bought the group together a bit more, we got talking to more people and had a good old chat. Dinner was vegetable soup, lasagne and tart tartain. then it was off to bed!!!

Day one

DAY ONE

London (Blackheath) to Calais, France. 95 miles.

The alarm call went off at 5am - it didn't wake me up as I was ALREADY awake!! Far too nervous to sleep, i think i managed about an hour.

Mum and I dragged ourselves down to breakfast and forced ourselves to eat a bowl of cereal, then we dragged the bags out to the trucks, collected our bikes and waited on the heath for the off!! We were briefed (follow the orange arrows, when the water stops were etc) and then we were off!!

Cycled out through London and off into the countryside. Our first water stop was at 25 miles, where we filled our bottles up, grabbed a cereal bar, a banana and a handful of American hard gums and then we were off again. With our sight firmly set on lunch at 45 (ish) miles. However you have to earn your lunch...and earn it we did...the biggest hill I have seen rose up in front of us and try as we might to get up it, it just wasn't happening, so we got off and walked, which was just as hard! I was considering calling the air ambulance, when I spotted the peak - thank god!! Only some one 'up there' obviously thought mum hadn't quite earned her lunch so she got a puncture 1K out!! The stop was closer to 50 miles than 45! After stopping for her to change her tube we carried on and finally made it to a little village hall, where there was TEA!!! So happy to have a nice hot cuppa and a fantastic lunch of breads, hams, cheeses, pasta, salads, fruit, cake - it was lovely! We filled our tummies, but some silly sod had decided to put a hill just after lunch so no sooner had we got on our bikes than we were getting off again for a bit of a stroll!!

We pulled over after a while to buy a bottle of water from a shop, where we got chatting to a lovely older lady about waht we were doing. She had flown out to Rome and then cycled back over 3 weeks! She thought what we were doing was great and so she gave us £10 sponsorship!! Thank you!!!

The next water stop was at 75 miles so not too far to go. More water, more cereal bars and more sweeties and then we were off again with only 15 miles to go to Dover!!

We arrived at Dover, grateful that the worst of the trip was over, only to have a ferry delay and have to stand outside at the port for 1 hr and 45 minutes, getting very cold and miserable!! When we got on the ferry we headed straight to the canteen, where we ate lasagne and chips - don't ask me what it tasted like, it didn't even touch the sides, I was so cold and hungry by this point!

We arrived at Calais, in darkness and we still had another 5 miles to cycle to the hotel. So we fixed our lights to our bikes, put on our high viz jackets and rode in convoy to a lovely Holiday Inn. Where we collected our bags, had a bath and fell in to bed exhausted but very proud of ourselves!!

ONE WEEK TO GO!!!!

Well firstly i need to apologise for not being on her for at least a month but I have a very good excuse!!! I have been training!!! ALOT!!!

Last week i did 293K (about 183miles) in a week and felt good for it!!

I took part in an organised ride from the The Stag pub at Mentmore last Sunday. Malcolm and I rode the 50 mile route and Grant cheated by driving the team car on the 85 mile circuit!!

It is the first time that I have ridden 50 miles without a stop at a cafe for a cup of tea and a bit of cake so I was very impressed with myself. We did the whole route in 3 hours and 24 minutes! The ride was twice round a 25 mile circuit which climbed Ivinghoe Beacon...see picture above for the elevation!! Oh it hurt - alot!! But i did it - yay me!! I was so proud of myself!! http://www.georgeburgessphotography.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=10683

This weekend I have cycled 130 miles over 3 days! Hard work but so worth it!!

I have started sorting out the practicalities of the ride now - I went to see Dickie at Phil Corley Cycles in Milton Keynes yesterday and he did me an excellent deal on some energy bars for the ride - What a Star!! Thanks you so much!!! I've been and bought my Kendal Mint Cake. I need to go an get my Euros! Our clothing is being finished this week!

I have got the day off work tomorrow as I have got to go and see the physio (Mark Booth - Body Limits) I have a little bit of tendonitis in the back of my right knee! It really hurts and tightens ups while I am cycling so I need a good sports massage! Then Mum is coming over and our bikes are going in for their service with Mr King, make sure they are fit for the journey!

And then we are going to get a 30 mile ride in!!

Then i will have a rest day on Friday 2 long rides over the weekend and then rest Monday ready for the trip down to London on the Tuesday!!! I can't believe its nearly here!!! I am getting excited now!!!

I will make sure that I blog again before I go and then the next one will be when I return!!!!!

Oh and also I would like to add that I am dedicating my ride to Sandra, over in New Zealand! We are thinking of you!! xxx

Cycling Photo Shoot