Well, we did it. 33.33 miles in a little under four hours (not counting a generous lunch break at the lovely Fountain Inn, in Ashurst, where Paul McCartney once filmed a Christmas song video and Lee discovered that bicycles are not allowed on the tables).
The average speed was hampered a little by some severe hill climbs, which grew noticably more frequent after Terry observed that "it's mostly downhill from here". Perhaps he was commenting on our energy levels rather than the terrain. On the upside (or the down side of the hills, so to speak) speeds of over 30 mph were thrillingly reached plummeting down Devil's Dyke. At one point, Kirsty's lunch even exceeded that velocity.
The scenery was beautiful (Shoreham a little less so) - the South Downs are recommended to anyone, with or without a bike.
Who won the coveted "Rider of the Day" award? Shelley came close, finding the going a little easier once someone explained to her the point of gears. No such tomfoolery for the winner, though: Alex managed the whole trip on a bit of kit that had fewer gears than a shopping cart.
Meanwhile, Saintly David kept us supplied with water and energy bars at occasional pit stops. A little less welcome - looking up after scraping to the crest of yet another steepish hill - was his camera lens, but we needed the pictures to prove to some people (Richard) that the ride actually took place. We hope to have some photos up on the site soon.
Everyone got to the end (except David H, who didn't make it to the start) and deserved a huge collective pat on the back. We've raised well over £2,000 for the National Autistic Society, which is very pleasing and will be warmly welcomed.
Of course that's all because you the cyber-doners were so very generous: thank you very much indeed. We wouldn't have made it up the first climb without this superb incentive to spur us on.
Background...
For anyone new to this page, our company 3Fox International Ltd set aside Friday 4 September 2009 to raise funds for the National Autistic Society. We intended to raise a minimum of £1,500 by doing our own sponsored cycle ride, covering a distance of about 30 miles on a circular route starting in Hove, East Sussex.
The 3Fox team is: Toby Fox, Kirsty MacAulay, Rachael Schofield, Shelley Cook, Alex Aspinall, Lee Harrison, Paul Gussar and Terry Hawes.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Don't stop now - the site is open for a week or so yet.
