Hi peeps

I'm going to start with the BCN official greeting - they say the bits about the charity better than me......

I'm taking on this challenge to stop a disease that takes the lives of nearly 12,000 women every year. Our mothers, daughters, sisters, wives and friends. Together, we’re giving our all to fund research and find answers now. We’re out there training come rain or shine, because every moment counts. We’re the first-timers, the give-it-a-goers, the ones who just love a challenge and the ones who wonder ‘what was I thinking?’ We’re stronger than we knew, and achieving things we’ve always dreamed of. We’re Team Now, and we’re doing it so that everyone who faces breast cancer will live.

This is now my words  -  hope you can take the time to read a bit of it,

I have friends who have have lost mothers - and friends who ARE mothers and daughters who have had to lose their breasts in order to save their lives. There has to be another way - but it needs money to fund finding the path.  If you could donate, great - but no worries, I'm sure enough people will. I would like you to read on though. That's all the sales bit you'll get.

 Chances are that I haven't seen you or had one to one contact with you for a while. Chance to catch up if you like, so it would be good to get a response, whatever form that may take.

To be honest, raising money for this cause, extremely worthy though it is,  - that's not what me doing this event was all about really. Nah!  ....  .....   It's all about the bike! 

Seriously bitten by the biking bug in winter of 2014 after a ride with a bunch of DB's Bigfoot CC pensioners who blew me out after about 2 miles of gentle climb. Good old Broaders spared me further torture and took me a mild 30 odd miles or so on gentler stuff still!!  Cut to New Year's day 2015 and a bunch of hung-over Beckenham Rugby Cyclists (BRC) did the same - but then came back and bullied, sorry, encouraged me around 40 odd miles of gentle slopes that felt at the time like Alpine Tour sections.

Cut to February and the bug bites REAL hard to produce - - 

7000+ miles in 2015, including 2 x 100 mile sportives with Boxhill included. I got myself a real belter of a bike, gears, wheels and EVERYTHING and did some great rides with several different clubs (one in NZ on Boxing Day just last year). One of the highlights was this very event - which again I got in via a charity. I raised the desired amount plus a bit so they were quite happy. 

The event itself was brilliant. I'd already done a few Sportives, one with a very similar route. But never had I experienced closed roads -  or such a massive amount of riders on the road. It's just a great feeling. And I absolutely smashed it! My recording device told me I averaged over 17mph for the 100 miles. Considering my usual speed was around 14-15mph around Kent, I was pretty amazed. Just shows what closed GOOD roads will do.

I'm not looking for such speeds this year. I'll be riding it with the BRC team on the day.  I'm bizarrely now the chairman of that bunch of New Years Day hangover victims, from BRC, and after one or two question marks about my health earlier this year (long story not for here - PM me back if you want the details).

However I will be doing some more serious training for it. Already done two century plus rides with the club this year - the latest just the other day, Sunday 12th June. I'll probably squeeze another couple in before the RideLondon event at the end of July. 

Thanks for taking the time. I do tend to ramble on a bit nowadays - especially about cycling!!

Roll on summer - and keep checking the updates. The one about the pink lycra might be interesting!

David xxx