S€%T HAPPENS! (and then sometimes, it doesn't...)

 Southam to Paris Cycle Ride, 10th to 14th August 2013

After 3212 training miles, 240000 training calories, (thanks to 1new Garmin!) 6 punctures, 1 new tyre, 1 fractured shoulder blade, 6 Physiotherapy sessions, 1 buzzing by a Vulcan bomber whilst on a training ride and 1 adjusted start date I had finally got to the start line of my own personal 'Tour de France.'

 

Admittedly thought had been given to another postponement after my eldest daughter came back from an end of term school trip to France with her leg in a cast after a slip in the showers ("I wasn't doing anything stupid!!!!!" - yeah, right) but thankfully it wasn't a bad break and after 3 weeks in a cast the doctors said she could have a great big plastic inflatable boot instead so the trip was still on. (Yep, s€%t continues to happen to the Lyle family)

 

The Revo Technik retuned VW camper van was packed and there we were at our home about to set off. My support team dressed in their 'Southam to Paris 2013'  Decathlon t-shirts was ready with SiS recovery drinks, route maps, and a bag full of Rockingham Cycles spare parts and I was champing at the bit to get going. Aerobically I felt as fit as a fiddle, alright mechanically I was still a bit knackered but I'm used to that now and so I set off, first stop Warwick Hospital for a proper send off from the ICU staff and friends. It was great to see them all, they have a special place in our hearts for everything they did for us that Christmas and I know without them My wife wouldn't be here and life would be very very different so after a few words, stuttered by some held back tears, I was back on the road again on my longest day 116 miles to Longleat Safari Park where we were camping. It was a lovely ride, the weather was just perfect, not too hot, no rain and most importantly no wind. The last 10 miles were a bit tough thanks to 'bonking' which I hadn't experienced before but knew it when it hit me. I'd researched my nutrition and hydration really well thanks to the SiS talk at the Trek Coventry store and through experimentation on my training rides, discovered a combination of 'Go' drinks, bananas, SiS bars, malt loaf and cold 'fresh' ravioli knew I was able to sustain myself for 106 miles but literally those extra 10 miles hit me and I had to drag myself to the finish line which, in turn, dragged my average speed down (darn it!) I got there though and the reception committee was superb.

 

After an evening barbecue prepared by the in laws (including a cheeky beer) and an extra £55 raised thanks to my daughters posters stuck to the van, I awoke the following morning, feeling surprisingly fresh and ready for the next short day down to Poole (about 40 miles). No 'bonking' today but a nice relaxing cycle through some lovely countryside apart from the most ridiculously steep and long hill which I hadn't spotted in my planning and I arrived at South Lytchett Manor campsite feeling great.

 

The next day was an early start and a short 4 mile trip to the ferry and a crossing to Cherbourg on the Brittany Ferries Barfleur (I strongly recommend the excellent pizza from the cafe at only €4!) At 2pm on the other side I started off on the 70ish mile trip through Normandy arriving at the Chateau Martragny about 7pm. We had stayed here a few years earlier and so it was lovely to be back in glorious sun shine followed by an evening of shooting star watching (Perseid meteor shower).

Day 4 was Martragny to Jumieges via the D-Day beaches, Pegasus Bridge and some wonderful Normandy woodland. I had forgotten to tell the support team about the ferry required to get across the Seine to our campsite and they consequently decided to take a detour, no sorry a long detour, to the 'nearest' bridge which meant they got there a bit later than intended. Mind you I only forgot to tell them because I didn't remember myself until the sharp left hand bend at the end of a long steep descent where I was confronted with the river, a small queue of traffic and a 45 minute wait. (Oops!) never mind only a few miles the other side to the campsite where I sat in the baby pool for an hour! This was the closest I could get to an ice bath (well the beer was ice cold) as by this time I was beginning to find out what 'saddle sore' meant......

 

The final day in to Paris started off with a squeal and a whince as I sat back on the bike. The freebie saddle cream I'd got from the Lionheart sportive had only temporarily soothed the pain and wasn't the miracle cure I was hoping for but hey "no pain no gain"

I'd been a bit doubtful of my final 100ish mile day in to Paris. My route planning had left me  having to compromise between distance and scenery and so I thought it was going to be a bit more of a slog than it actually was in the end.  First of all I had to get a ferry across the Seine again and then ascend the hills on the other side through more ancient woodland then down the other side right along the river and some stunning villages and towns. In fact the first 75 miles was much better than I thought it was going to be. I passed through Vernon and some other beautiful riverside towns. Admittedly I had to make an unscheduled detour when Garmin wanted to send me down a motorway which I thought I had avoided in my planning but that wasn't a problem and in fact I ended up on a lovely road instead, bonus! The last 30 miles weren't so lovely but were quite lively! The industrial suburbs of Paris and some built up areas meant some busy roads but then the French definition of busy clearly isn't as 'busy' as our definition and it wasn't really a problem. Mind you navigating my way through the Paris streets as the GPS signal bounced around the buildings making my Garmin think I was somewhere else pointing in a different direction meant that the last 10 miles or so were slow, meandering, confusing and meant I was glad I had got some extra travel insurance! But then as I approached a roundabout at the top of a hill there it was, the Eiffel Tower, I could finally see my destination and where my support team would be waiting for me with the Union Jack, recovery drink and my sister in law who had come out especially to see me finish.

 

I eventually fought my way through the crowds and emerged under the tower via a security enclosure (oops, one final unplanned detour) we agreed to meet directly under the centre of the tower but there were construction works going on that meant this wasn't possible, combined with the fact that my team had been told off by the military for laying the Union Jack on the ground under the tower (fair enough I suppose) so where were they?

Then I heard the unforgettable sound of a beagle howl which meant that Charlie had spotted me, being the only support team member looking in the 'right' direction. Everyone else turned around and I cycled over to a collection of hugs, applause and kisses. Fantastic!

 

After 432 miles, 30000 calories, 27 hours, £1700 donated to Warwick Hospital Intensive Care Unit (so far) no punctures, no accidents, no mechanical problems and no real dramas I had reached Paris and the end of my Tour.

Sometimes then perhaps S€%T doesn't happen after all...........

 

(But can anyone recommend any saddle sore remedies..... Please!!!!!!!!)

 

 

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This is why I did it............................................

No father should ever face having to tell their children that if they wanted to see their mummy whilst she was still alive, they needed to visit her in intensive care now as she wouldn't be with us in the morning.

 

Unfortunately though this sort of thing does happen.  Fortunately, we are lucky to have people that are committed, compassionate, tenacious and highly skilled professionals that, when faced with these situations, don't just give up and move on but use everything at their disposal to try and get mummy home. 

In 2010 my wife, Louise, contracted Swine Flu. The virus went off like a bomb and quickly caused her organs to shut down. Within 24 hours of being admitted to hospital she was on a ventilator, kidney dialysis, a complex cocktail of powerful medications and so began a long long journey, during which we were taken to the brink many times over.

Louise stayed on 'life support' and in Intensive care for 6 weeks. Yes that's right, 6 weeks because of the Flu!

 

I know it sounds odd and I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't spent those 6 weeks by her bedside surrounded by the most wonderful team of professionals doing everything they could, facing every challenge that Louise threw at them with compassionate tenacity that eventually meant after 8 weeks, instead of our girls having to go and say goodbye, they were able to celebrate, shouting hello with delight as she tentatively stepped through our front door at home.

 

Put simply, Warwick Hospital Intensive Care staff saved not only Louise's but also our lives and I will never be able to thank them enough.

 

The average cost of a day in intensive care is £1500. I hope to be able to raise the equivalent of just one days admission so that there'll be another £1500 to help provide the excellent level of care for whoever might need the same people, skills and resources that kept Lou alive and got her back home to us.

 

My personal Mantra is "life is nothing if not an adventure." So, to try and encourage you to donate some money I thought I'd try and design a little adventure for myself.  One that will physically and mentally push me, be hard to achieve and require me to exhibit just a fraction of the tenacity that Warwick ICU had when helping us back in 2010/11.

 

Now, I'm not the fittest person in the world in fact nuts, bolts and screws help me get around every day, but I've come up with this ridiculous plan to cycle from our home in Southam, Warwickshire to Paris, France 350 miles(ish) not including the wet bit in the middle!

I'm aiming to do it in 4 days supported by an expert team comprising of, Louise, Georgia and Alex and not forgetting Charlie the Beagle, the most recent member of the family resulting from the realisation after all we've been through that life is too short! - hence our chosen 'pedigree' name for him; 'Lifes too short, Chase me Charlie!'

My exact route is still undecided but I aim to do this during Whitsun week 2013 and will update this site with more details as my plans and training progress

If you would be so good as to sponsor me to achieve this target I know that all that money will be put to good use by Warwick ICU.

 

Go on, you know you want to!!!!!!!!!

 

Nick

Oh and by the way, if you are eligible for the Flu jab, go and get it! If reading this brief account makes you do that then hopefully you will be saved going through what we did.

 Text LYLE99 £(insertamount) to 70070 to donate £5