On 19th September, I did the Ruthin Mountain Biking Marathon in North Wales to raise money for charity (see details below) and lived to tell the tale .... just. Click on the picture (on the left) to see a slide show/photographic evidence.
Due to the atrocious weather and ground/mud conditions the race marshals closed off one part of the race, so we ended up doing:
- 55 km (34.2 miles)
- 1900 meters of climb (equivalent to almost twice the height of Mount Snowdon - 1085 meters above sea level)
- 7 hours 15 minutes of virtually non-stop cycling, slipping, sliding, falling and getting up again! - with only the odd 5-10 minute break.
What did I learn from doing this?
1 - I was right - it did hurt ... a lot! But it was great fun.
2 - I now know why the Brits call it a 'push bike', having spent many hours pushing my bike up very steep mountains.
3 - How amazingly generous and encouraging people have been to support this cause and my crazy challenge.
Thanks to everyone who has donated. If you haven't yet donated, you can still do so.
* refund available on request, if you feel strongly about us not having completed the original distance - although it was out of our control.
** on Saturday 18th September the scouts themselves raised over £500 helping people to pack their shopping at Morrisons - so they are doing their bit!
----------------- original description of my challenge -----------------
I'm supporting my son Charlie's scout group (a registered charity) to achieve their ambition to join 2500 scouts at an international camp in 2011. http://www.haarlemjamborette.nl/2011/
I do this by completing the Ruthin Mountain Biking Marathon in North Wales on 19th September. http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/ruthin.php This is going to hurt! 75 kilometers (46.6 miles), 2500 meters (8200 feet) of climb ... and that for someone who grew up in in a country with lots of bikes ... but no mountains!
The scouts are a great bunch and they will also raise funds themselves. All the leaders are giving their time for free, so the least I can do is something like this to support them.
Any donation (large or small) will be gratefully received. It goes directly to this cause. All costs - race fees, travel, bike repairs, medical bills :-) - will be paid by me. Thanks for considering it.
