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We are pleased to report that the 22 cyclists have completed the challenge on the 7th June and what a challenge it was! We were up against the weather from the start.
The mini bus duly picked us up from Penrith early on the Friday morning, the bikes were loaded onto the trailer and we had time for a quick photo session before we were whisked off to the start of our journey at Whitehaven. That was where the rain started and carried on for a further 3 hours! However that did not dispel our high spirits, we got on our bikes and pedalled through Whitehaven heading towards and the first of our steep climbs. We were joined by Alastair's son Peter who had pedalled down from very early that morning. Paul had a succession of punctures early on in the ride and was delayed by having to change his inner tubes, The scenery although dark and dreary was stunning, we were cycling on very quiet B roads hardly meeting any vehicles but there were plenty of sheep to keep us company. was the first big slog, however we all reached the visitor's centre and cafe albeit wet and cold. We filled up with hot soup and hot chocolate and tried to "dry out". The cycle shop by the cafe did very well that day, some of us were rather underdressed and dashed into the shop to purchase warm waterproof jackets. Next stop was Keswick and some of us went a bit off the "beaten track" and ended up doing a few more miles than necessary. However as we were heading to Penrith the sun came out, we collapsed at our guest houses exhausted, damp and rather muddy, thank goodness for mudguards.
Saturday saw another 8.15am start, this time we had to climb out of Penrith and onto the . Not only did we have the drizzly rain but a strong north easterly wind was blowing into our faces! We huffed and we puffed up to Hartside and collapsed in another centrally heated cafe, the weather was getting worse and spirits were low. Some cyclists felt that they were being blown off the bikes by the strong winds. However we soldiered on making the most of the descents and bracing ourselves for the climbs. Steve and Sean on the tandem were pulling together and displaying fine teamwork. We all met at Allenheads for our final stop, everyone looked rather weary and wishing there were not the extra 10 miles to go. We collapsed at our guest houses that night and a few analgesic tablets were taken before we went to sleep, knees, necks and arms were beginning to suffer.
After hearty breakfasts were consumed we set off for the final stage of the challenge. Once we had all reached Parkhead we knew it was all downhill to . Again we had drizzly rain and a strong north easterly wind, however this did not deter us, the thought of no more steep climbs seemed to make us pedal faster. All was going well until a small group took a wrong turn and did an extra 10 miles before they were on the right track. We all met up at the "Pitch and Piano" in opposite the Slug art gallery for lunch, we had made excellent time. The last hour cycling into Tynemouth we had some sunshine, we all stuck together and arrived on the beach at at 3.30pm. We dipped our wheels into the , took some photos, ate icecream and heaved ourselves onto the mini bus for the return journey. Once we got back to Penrith, tea, cakes and a glass of bubbly were waiting for us, bliss!
We all declared it a successful challenge. Each cyclist had worked incredibly hard to finish the c2c, the weather had certainly been one of our hardest challenges. Everybody had supported each other in order to complete the ride and it was certainly a privilege to be part of such a great team. The training rides had paid off, we were all fitter with more stamina than before March and our first "get together". Now the talk is "Where shall we cycle next year?"
On June 4th 2009 a group of health care professionals from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be mounting their bikes to undertake the Coast2Coast Bike Challenge in aid of the Cobalt Breast Clinic £1m Appeal.
There will be 23 cyclists in the group, many of whom work in the Trust and many in the two current breast units in Gloucester and Cheltenham hospitals. They are: Clare and Aiden Fowler, Sarah Vestey, Sean Elyan, Peter Jenkins, Steve Peak, Luci Hobbs, Alastair Sammon, Nina la Hei, Helen and James Rankin, Christine Sanderson, Jane Fide, Karolina and Jason Ayres, Alison and John Anderson, Will Haynes, Paul and Anne Fong, David Fletcher, Mary Shepherd and Cristian Fagarasan.
The 140 mile bike ride is a 3 day journey and is one of the most scenic, varied and popular bike rides in Britain. We will be cycling from Whitehaven, Cumbria in the West to Tynemouth on the East coast, through National Parks, remote valleys and lovely villages.
The challenge for us all is not only putting in the training time and getting fit but also about raising money for our new countywide Breast Unit. We are aiming to raise £10,000 for the new Unit to enable the project to be completed by the autumn of 2009.
The new Gloucestershire Breast Unit will have screening services and symptomatic clinics with radiographers, breast consultants and physicians, breast care nurses and administrators, all under one roof for the women of our county.
The training has started in earnest now. All participants got together at the beginning of March to discuss the challenge and the training that was required before June 4th. Sean Elyan and Steve Peak announced that they would be cycling the 140 miles on a tandem!! Dates were arranged for training bike rides. The first one was on a gloriously sunny day and we huffed and puffed up Frocester hill, as we put our fitness levels to the test. The lesson for us on that ride was to take a spare inner tube with us at all times!
The fundraising has also begun with coffee mornings, raffles and BBQs planned.
We had another good ride today( Sat 11th April), the challenge was 4 big hills and 25 miles. We tackled Frocester hill, Stouts hill, the Ws in Nailsworth and Woodchester hill up to Selsley, saving the best till last. The tea, coffee and hot X buns at the finish made it all worthwhile! No punctures or loose chains this time either.
We took advantage of the Bank holiday Monday and Nina, Luci, Alison and John, Karolina, Jane and Cris hit the hills for yet another good ride in the saddle! Both Nina and Alison were sporting shiny new bikes. The rides are getting much faster, the hills dare I say it seem easier so we must be getting fitter! We did stop off en route at a cafe and devoured hot bowls of soup and home made cakes, just the job! The next training ride is Sunday 10th May.With 4 weeks to go until our challenge we are busy advertising in order to boost the fundraising with a pre recorded interview on Radio Gloucestershire tomorrow and articles for the local newspapers.
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If you feel you can support these intrepid cyclists on their Coast2Coast Bike Challenge then please pledge your support through www.justgiving.com/glosbreastappeal.
