Mad MAG Cycle Ride...Vietnam and Cambodia (26th Feb  - 7th March, 2010)

We have now completed the gruelling ride, in extremely hot temperatures, and with a fantastic team ethic.  We have returned home to the more mundane rhythm of our daily lives, but a piece of us is still pedalling in the heat, waving to the countless smiling children, and then staring at the roof of a Buddhist temple as we shelter from the mid-day sun...

...Thanks to Mark Lyons, Andy Naish, and Matt Oakley for giving us the final donations to smash the £50k target.  And thanks also to everyone who has donated time and money to this enterprise. Check out the website:  www.one-last-push.com for more detailed blogs and photos.

*** Searching for the next challenge - any ideas...? ***

After more than a year's preparation, training from Edinburgh to Newcastle, Lytham to London, and a growing sense of anxiety, we did it.  We were not the fittest, we were not the fastest, but we completed the challenge, and will remember it for ever. 

 

Thanks for visiting our fundraising page.

Nine friends and colleagues, united in a common mad dream, cycle 470km in South-East Asia in 2010.  With our weight in stone, and our age in years, outstripping our IQ - we will need all the help we can get.

It is now getting real, we only have a few months left, so are stepping up our training, or at least the chat about it.

Here are some thoughts from the team members:

Steve Riley OBE: "Prior to  January 2006 I used to subscribe to Mr Wilde's Words, "To regain my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early , or become respectable " then my mother said told me she thought I was going to " seed ". Since then I have embarked on a fantastic fitness regime involving buying and using running shoes, buying and using a bike, using my gym membership, and being seen out of the house in lycra. Under Mrs Riley's Rules this still limited to the hours of darkness . And most worrying like all converts telling people how much better I feel. In order to keep me attached to this new regime but more importantly to support this excellent cause, please sponsor us as generously as you have done in the past .

Dave West: "...let's cycle from Vietnam to Cambodia..."  says Steve; "...you know you want to...it'll be a laugh..."  Given that we'll be cycling 450km in 30 degrees heat and high humidity, on the vietnamese equivalent of a Raleigh Shopper, it is clear to me that Steve and I laugh at different things.  As you can see from the photo, my fitness regime has yet to start in earnest (...or indeed, at all), but if anything can spur me into exercise it's the thought of not being able to keep up with these other reprobates.  I am haunted by the image of my Lycra-clad colleagues forever just ahead of me...filling my vision...blotting out the countryside... 

This is one of those all-to-rare occasions where we get the chance to make a real difference to others less fortunate.  Please help by donating whatever you can and helping us reach our target.  Thank-you!

Mark Larsen:  "In the last seventeen years I have gained 6 stone, 4 kids, 2 mortgages, and an extra chin (or two.)  When asked what Daddy did for a living, my youngest daughter (Grace - aged 4) replied "Colouring in"!  In order to convince myself and my family that there is more to life than work, and more to exercise than machines, I have signed up for this semi-suicidal trip.  My only comfort is that my colleagues look equally uncomfortable in flourescent cycling equipment as I do.  Please support us, as I fear our bodies will not"

Linden Hutchinson:  Linden is sadly too young, and too athletic to fit the image of his more amply upholstered colleagues.  But with his penchance for art-house photography Linden is hoping to capture those award-winning images as the relative humidity tops 90% and the thermometer is tipping 35 Celsius.  Smoking!

Helen Chapman:  Having already been to Vietnam and floated down the Mekong Delta on a boat, I’m convinced that this is a really, completely bonkers idea. But if I can summon enough energy after the first day to raise my head and look around then the amazing countryside can’t fail to enthral. In short: I can’t wait!  (I’m also going to make sure that Linden doesn’t slack off like he did when we agreed to do a half-marathon together...).

Stewart Spears:  The Essex dynamo of the group, Stewart lowers the average age, and can be relied upon to seek help when the elder members need airlifting out of the jungle. 

Denisa Winterova:  Having been lured onto the trip by the silver tongued Essex-boy, Denisa is still reeling from what she has agreed to do.  She has been training in secret, and promises to lead from the front. 

Matt Oakley: Hmmm – now let me see; 7 days sitting on a saddle covering 400km in 30 degree heat, 80% humidity and in the company of an Evertonian – seems like a great way to spend my time.  But actually bizarre as it seems my late call up to this squad is well timed, the group are a great bunch and more importantly the charity are fantastic – when you look at the material they really do make a difference.  However, not sure I was picked for my Princess Diana qualities, more to help bring the average age back up and make mark feel less bad about his training programme.  Please give generously.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: The Mines Advisory Group gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor us now!