Firstly, many thanks to all our friends and family who gave so generously and helped us raise over GBP 5,000 for Cancer Research and Wessex Cancer Trust. Thanks to them we doubled our fundraising target and helped the event raise over HKD 1,000,000 for charities around the world!
Secondly, thanks to Societe Generale and sponsors for organising and funding such a great event. 80 cyclists riding out of downtown Beijing was always going to be a logistical nightmare but add to that a few overly enthusiastic riders taking directions into their own hands in rush hour traffic and it was a miracle we all made it!
What an experience! Starting from the Olympic Park in front of the Birds Nest stadium we soon became a bit of a tourist attraction for the locals. We assumed they wanted a picture with us, so in the interest of international relations we put on our best smiles only to be ushered out of the way so they could have that Kodak moment with our bikes instead! Bringing our own road bikes certainly added to the adventure. Transporting them around was harder than we had anticipated and we ended up in a presidential type convey as the blacked out MPVs rushed us from the airport to the hotel. We spent the next few hours attempting to rebuild our bikes in the hotel room whilst trying not to get grease over the lovely white carpets. We successfully put the majority of the bikes back together but with a few tweaks required we sought the help of the “bike technician” the next morning. When he revealed a pair of white gloves but no tools we realized we were probably alone on this one. The bikes also lead to high expectations on our team with most of the other riders provided with heavy old mountain bikes… we looked rather professional. The term all the gear no idea came to mind and we showed our expertise early on with Barny deciding not to unclip his shoes at one junction leading to a nice domino effect as he took out Tim on his way to the ground. In stepped our helpful bike technician who started trying to kick Barnys pedal in an attempt to force the chain free… we didn’t require his services again. Next it was Terry who found the dirt as he ploughed straight into the back of the stationary Barny whilst admiring the scenary. No more blood was to be shed however and soon we were out of the city and able to get some miles under our belts. The first day ended with an unwelcome long hill but the road bikes had come into their own as we finished at the head of the pack. We had knocked off the first 70kms and with the Great Wall as a backdrop we enjoyed a couple of well earned beers.
Day 2 and the sun had gone. It was cold and the saddle felt particularly uncomfortable. Jules was in no mood to share her furry arm warmers and the lycra did little on the insulation front. A long downhill to start left our hands feeling like ice but after about 15kms we hit the first big climb and suddenly the cold was forgotten. Again the road bikes proved their worth and a few of our fellow riders did admit after to having a few unpleasant things to say under their breath as we flew (!) past them up the hill. Our reward for making the summit was a long downhill and despite having to avoid some manure falling from a lorry it was a welcome break on the legs. We were riding in the country now and the roads were in good shape so except for the odd obstacle (such as being chased by a dog or an angry looking man with a broom and avoiding the whip of an unaware old man on a horse and cart) everyone took the opportunity to open up and get through the miles. It wasn’t getting any warmer so there was plenty of incentive to get to the finish as quickly as possible. Again the ride finished up the same long hill as the day before but there wasn’t the same blissful ignorance this time so the pain felt worse. At least the top of the hill did offer the prospect of a shower and some food and as the early finishers the shower would still be hot (something some of the others were not so fortunate of). The finish also ended a fantastic couple of days and the team was particularly impressed how Terry (65) and Bess had kept up with the pace despite no recent riding experience. We were also lucky to have Adam and Tim’s wives and kids along as support. The drive bys with the girls hanging out the car window taking snaps meant a few hasty posture shifts as we all tried to look a little less knackered and a bit more professional but was always a welcome distraction. The event concluded with a bbq and an awards ceremony where Terry was asked to step up and speak about the why the charities we were supporting had such special meaning. A poignant ending and a reminder of why we were all riding. Thanks again for all you support allowing us to raise some cash for these great charities and to ride in memory of our family and friends lost to cancer.
