16th July update, the day after: Wow, what a day! The ride was difficult, but we made it. Well, at least most of us did. Unfortunately we lost Martin & Michael, who had to pull out because of injuries. Along with Julie & Nigel, they were diverted over Box Hill because another  rider had had a serious accident. They therefore had an extra & rather large hill to climb & there were more than enough already on the standard route, so they all deserve an extra pat on the back.

On the subject of diversions, Richard also needs a mention as it seems he managed to do a wrong turn & we think, added approximately 5 miles (mainly uphill) to his ride. Personally, I'm grateful that he did this as it meant that I met him at the last refreshment stand & had someone to go up Devil's Dyke with. I'd been riding alone & was really struggling at this point so having some company at the hardest point of the ride was a major boost for me.

The rest of Teamscarlett were fantastic. Adrian, Dad (Jimmy), Stacey, Debbie & David, rode together for most of the ride, along with Frank, who decided to join us at the last minute, signing up on the day. I was  behind them due to me  being rubbish on hills, but met up with them at refreshment stops. However, at around the 40 mile point, I had a flat tyre & lost an hour waiting for it to be fixed as I stupidly had no tools or inner tube on me (although to be fair, even if I had, I probably wouldn't have known what to do with them!).

I'm not sure of everyone's times at the moment. I did the ride in 8 hours 40 minutes, but think it's fair to deduct my  "lost" hour from that time. According to my bike computer, I was riding for 6 hours 14 minutes, which I'm incredibly happy with. Richard arrived at the finish shortly after me, & Nigel & Julie were just behind him. The others arrived well over an hour before us & did incredibly well. They also managed to cycle up Devil's Dyke (I walked) & that is a massive achievement in itself. 

I do need to also mention Fred, Michael's dad, who although not cycling, played an integral role. He hired a van to take bikes to Esher & then drove the route, stopping at various places to check on us.  He came to my rescue to mend my flat tyre & picked up Martin & Michael when they had to stop. Thank you Fred, you're fab!

Thank you to everyone who's sponsored us &  if you haven't, it's not too late! We now have our own website:www.teamscarlett.com on which we will eventually put photos.

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The gorgeous little lady on the left is my daughter Scarlett. She was born in July '05 & when she was 3 months old, we were given the devasting news that she has Cystic Fibrosis (CF). This is the UK's most common genetic disease & affects mainly the lungs & digestive system. Because of the condition, mucus builds up on the lungs,  causing frequent infections which damage them, usually leading eventually to respiratory failure & death.  Approximately 70% of CF sufferers are under 20 years of age as a consequence of limited life expectancy & on average, 3 young people lose their lives to the disease every week. All of  Scarlett's family refuse to accept that she will become part of this very sad statistic & will do all we can to make sure she doesn't.  

A lifeline for us has been The  Cystic Fibrosis Trust, which supports those affected by CF. The Trust is the only UK charity  funding research into better treatment & ultimately we hope, a cure for CF. Great headway has been made with this research, but the treatment is still a way off.  CF is a degenerative disease, so for us, it is quite literally a race against time.  If there is significant damage to Scarlett's lungs, any new treatment is likely to be less effective. Like other CF sufferers, Scarlett has already had to get used to twice-daily physio & nebuliser treatments as well as having to take various medicines on a daily basis, all in a fight to delay any damage to her lungs. There is however a limit to how effective this will be & sadly, it's inevitable that eventually we will start to lose the battle. 

As Teamscarlett, myself & a group of family & friends, will all be taking part in the 60 mile Capital To Coast Bike Ride (www.capitaltocoast.org.uk) to raise money for The Cystic  Fibrosis Trust.  My fellow Teamscarlett riders are: my partner (& Scarlett's dad) Michael, his brother Richard, my sister Stacey, our dad Jimmy, my sister's fiance Adrian, & our friends Nigel, Julie, Debbie, Martin & David.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Cystic Fibrosis Trust will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Michelle Mullarkey xx

www.teamscarlett.com