OK, so 2008 saw me pedalling my arse off around Cuba and I swore that I'd NEVER get back on a bike....until that is, Computer Aid asked if I'd like to cycle Chile, so in 2009 I once again slipped into my Lycra (actually, most of the trip was spent in thermals, since it was FREEZING in the mountains of South America!) and cycled my way from the Andes to the Pacific via a few lakes in what was the single most exhausting and challenging event of my life. I think it's fair to say that I've been bitten with the fund-raising and cycling bug because in October 2010 I shall be once again heading out into unfamiliar territory and experiencing the mountains and hills of Kathmandu.

I know that many of you reading this have supported me tremendously over the past couple of years and I want you to know that I appreciate every penny of your donations and every minute of your time that is spent supporting my events. I also know that the charity, Computer Aid International are immensly humbled by the support that we are able to give them. In Chile I had the opportunity to visit a school that has been receiving computer equipment and support from Computer Aid and to see first hand the incredible difference that the provision of computer technology has had on the lives of children born into poverty. These children, with the new found IT skills that they were acquiring, suddenly had futures ahead of them that stretched beyond the shanty towns that they lived in. This was a truely inspiring experience and all thanks to the work of Computer Aid International.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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 - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Please keep checking back to this page for updates on my fund-raising and training.

Shelley xx

19th April 2010

In just over 6 months I head off into the shadow of Mount Everest, settle into the saddle once more and raise my eyes to the hills that I must once again conquer in the name of charity. It certainly won't be the first time that I have to question why I keep putting myself through the hard work of the training, the pressure of raising sponsorship and the pain of sitting on a saddle for 8 hours a day for 6 days, but I guess the truth is that all of this pales into insignificance when I compare my life to that of the people that are benefiting from the work of Computer Aid International. I get panic attacks at the though of being separated from my PC.....No email, no internet, no way of finding out the answers to my sons maths homework at 8pm on a Sunday night!! Joking aside, having access to a PC opens up the whole world to us. The ability to learn, to communicate, to broaden our horizons and I guess most of us take it for granted. But to not have these facilities suddenly limits the future in many, many ways. From my past two challenges with this charity, I have not only been lucky enough to visit some beautiful parts of the world, but I have also seen poverty. Strangely though, far from finding this depressing, I found it inspiring to see the enthusiasm and devotion of individuals who, despite having next to nothing, had dreams of a future and these dreams were being realised through the work of Computer Aid International. This is why I am committed to continue supporting this charity and why, when half way up a hill, when my leg muscles are burning, my lungs and fit to explode and my ipod battery decides to give up the ghost, I still manage to find the strength to keep on reaching for the top.

Training has begun in earnest and I've quickly built up to 25 mile rides, so it seems that despite my love/hate relationship with my bike, my legs are still capable of doing the distance! I've almost reached the half way mark with my fundraising and I am proud to say that most of this has been self-funded through various methods (helping out little old ladies, sewing award badges on to the uniform of half the local Cubs / Scouts & Brownies, selling anything I can get my hands on, via eBay and regularly pilfering my kids money boxes. OK, not really - even  I wouldn't stoop that low! Basically though, this means that I myself have paid towards all of the cost of this trip and therefore any money I receive in sponsorship will be going direct to the projects of the charity. How cool is that?!

If you are in a position to help in the way of sponsorship, donations, unwanted items that can be sold etc, I would be incredibly grateful. And don't forget to keep checking in for updates! xxx

7th June 2010

It's been a massive couple of months for fund-raising. As I mentioned before, I'll consider most opportunities for a spot of sponsorship and I certainly don't do things by halves, which is why I spent the best part of every minute of my spare time over a 5 week period, helping to inflate 135,000 World-Cup promotional footballs!! After many long days, late nights, sore fingers and the odd ball fight to break the monotony I finally pumped my last ball and added another £500 to my target. Whoop whoop!! Training has been going well with weekly 30 mile bike rides, most of which have actually been pretty enjoyable, especially now that the warmer weather has arrived. I've finally managed to get an extension pole for my handle bars, which is making the cycling a lot more comfortable and it will definitely be the first thing I pack in my bag when I head out to Nepal!! The only cloud on the horizon is a suspected trapped nerve in my neck which has progressively been getting worse over the past months. Whilst it doesn't stop me training, I do seem to suffer BIG TIME for the immediate couple of days after a long cycle ride. Tomorrow I get the results of my MRI and fingers crossed it will turn out to be nothing that I can't recover quickly from......

14th July 2010
The results of the MRI were inconclusive, which in one sense is good - no nasty things going on, but still no explaination for the neck pain, other than 'inflamation', so i guess i keep taking the pills and hope for a speedy recovery. Fortunately the neck does seem to be slightly better and it is not hampering my training.
Talking of training, the past month has seem a number of 30-35mile training rides, one of which i did with Maurizio, a representative of Computer Aid International who is also taking part in the challenge. My husband was also foolosh enough to take a day off work and ask 'What shall we do?' so i took him on a 10 mile, off-road, rather hilly cycle ride in 30 degree heat!!
Fund-raising antics saw me peddling for a solid 5 hours on an exercise bike at a local village fun-day in order to raise more sponsorship. I ran a competition for people to guess the distance I would cover on the bike during the 5 hours. 65.1 miles later i was another £170 towards my target.
In a couple of weeks I will be taking part in a London to Cambridge cycle ride with a couple of my Cycle Nepal fellow cyclists - Maurizio (again) and Eric (also a Cycle Chile veteran). Seemed like a good idea to get in a bit of longer distance training....!
I am so, so close to hitting my sponsorship target now. Thank-you  to everyone that has helped in their own litle ways - donating, supporting, encouraging...just one more little push is all that is needed....can you help? xx

17th August 2010
With just over 10 weeks to go its time to step up the training. Easier said than done when we are only half way through the school holidays and free time is almost non-exsistent! However, four weeks back I sucessfully completed the 60 mile cycle route from London to Cambridge with my fellow Nepal participant, Maurizio. Both of us agreed that it was a sucessful training mission, but also conceeded that the hills in Nepal were likely to be a lot more daunting that those in Essex and Cambridgeshire! A two week holiday in Menorca then stalled cycle training even further, however my determintion to train did not cease and I was up with the (hot) sun almost every morning for a 3 mile run. Cycle training will resume with earnest this week....promise!

Visa's are being completed, medical forms submitted, flights confirmed and if you are reading this, you'll be aware that I am on that final push for sponsorship! Have you looked at the top of this page and seen how close I am?? Please dig deep if you are able to and help me hit that 100%.....it really is worth every penny. xx

5th October 2010

Just over 3 weeks to go and I'm surprisingly calm.....!

Autumn has hit hard with rain, rain and more rain but I'm still managing find a few dry hours for training. My average weekend ride is now around 36-40 miles although predominately completed non-stop (and generally followed by long, long hot baths!!). I've also resorted to buying an exercise bike from ebay to enable me to continue training during the week when time or weather does not a llow for time out the 'real' bike.

A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of the company of 5 of my fellow Nepal Challenge cyclists and charity representatives for a 32 mile training ride around the lanes and cycle tracks of Hertfordshire. Apart from one super fit individual who turned up on a top of the range road bike and proceeded to cycle rings around the rest of us, I'm pleased to say that fitness levels all seemed to be pretty much on a par, which means that I shouldn't be spending too much time on my own at the back of the pack struggling up the hills!

The final fundraising push is underway, so its not too late to support this great charity. Any donation big and small can make a huge difference. Go on, I dare you!! ;o) 

xx

29th October 2010 - day before departure.

Well people, this is it. Tomorrow I head off to Kathmandu where the current weather conditions are 27 degrees and sunny. Great for a day round the pool, but not so great for cycling up 18km steep hills!!

I am over-whelmed with the generosity of those that have sponsored and supported me. It's been a long hard slog, both with fund-raising and training but finally the challenge has arrived and like everything in my life, I shall tackle it head on, with enthusiasm, gritted teeth, humour, sarcasm and a large vodka! (ok - I'll save the last bit until after I've reached the finish line each day!!)

I'm looking forward to meeting my fellow cyclists and experiencing the culture of Nepal but for now, I guess this is it.

Let the adventure begin......

xxxxxxxxxx