In a rather ‘worse for wear’ moment last summer, I thought it might be fun to mark the occasion of my 50 birthday with a personal challenge. A cycle ride from the top to the bottom of France seemed like a good idea at the time! Somehow despite my dislike for exercise, I bought a racing bike, started training and recruited five others (who are fitter than me) to make up a team! Training is going OK but I still have a long way to go before I am ready for the challenge and can cycle up the hills ahead of my team mates!!!!
We start cycling on June 12 from Le Harve and will hopefully end up in Saint Maries de la Mer 8 days later having covered 620 miles!! We are all raising money for our own chosen charities and are funding the trip ourselves so every penny raised goes direct to the charity. I am supporting a local charity West Berkshire Mencap who provide services to improve the lives and opportunities for people with a learning disability, to enable them to fulfil their potential in life. This could vary from providing sports, leisure and drama activities, through to finding suitable employment and developing independent living skills. Thank you for supporting me, your donation is greatly appreciated. Caroline x
TRAINING UPDATE 30-05-11
This weekend was a big achievement. On Saturday we cycled to Woodstock in Oxfordshire for lunch (well we got there at 10.30 so had a full English) and then back again! On the return journey we battled against the wind and rain and there were times when I thought I couldn’t go on but we made in back to Wiltshire intact after seven and half hours in the saddle and 85 miles on the clock! After ten hours in bed and feeling refreshed we got back in the saddle on Sunday morning to cycle the Pewsey Vale loop and covered 40 miles in 3 hours. With less than 2 weeks to go until the real challenge begins I am nervous, excited but feeling “up for it” and am so grateful for all the support we have received so a BIG thank you to you all. x
