The hand cyclist!

Spotty shirts indicate they rode London-paris earlier this year for the charity. And I'm worrying about a measly 100 miles

Arriving on a bicycle made for two - apparently they attached a baby buggy and rode off together the next day when they collected their bikes - that's dedication to the cause!

Team from Bath University

Man with bike!

Friendly riders all round

An early lunch for keen riders at The Red Lion in Theale

Weekend's PR

Well things are looking good for next week.

Tomorrow (Sat) there should be a spread in the Bristol Evening Post, unfortunately delayed from earlier this week.

On Sunday we should have one or two journalists at the start (and I'm really looking forward to helping out on the ride - should be a big buzz.

On Monday we should have two or three radio interviews.

And Bristol City football team should be doing a photo call - this one just keeps rescheduling. Think they're having difficulty getting all of the players together. It's great they'll help us out and football teams are notoriously hard to co-ordinate (it's hard enough for the local under 7's team, Woodley Wanderers)

Donald's story

A Colerne newsagent is gearing up to ride his sixteenth Action 100 Bike Ride after completing Action Medical Research’s tough London to Paris cycle ride as the oldest rider earlier this year. Now Donald Thompson, 70, has set his sights back on the more local challenge - the Action 100 charity bike ride from Bristol and Bath to London (100 miles) on 28th August 2005 (this weekend) in aid of the same charity.

Thompson will be forming part of an international team of riders from Switzerland, the United States and the UK. Team mates - and friends - Wayne Fisher, Michael Marchesani and Bill Thiele will all fly in for the weekend to participate. Thompson first cycled with his team mates on a 300 mile Tour de Maine ride last year in the States.

He was first attracted to supporting Action Medical Research in 1987 when he saw an advertisement in a Bath bike shop asking for riders to cycle 100 miles to London. He is also keen to support the wide variety of conditions and disabilities that are helped in the process.

“The four day London to Paris ride, which we completed last month in aid of Action Medical Research, finished in Paris in time to watch Lance Armstrong take his fourth Tour de France title, which was a huge thrill,” said Thompson. “It was a completely different challenge to the Action 100, which goes further in a day and passes through some of England’s most beautiful countryside, and has the most incredible sense of camaraderie. I wouldn’t miss it for the World!”

So if he can do this at 70.... I'm worn out just thinking about it.

Reality hits

Have been trying to get out on the bike but between work and the kids school holidays time for me just isn't on the cards.

Have been hit by the reality of this. I don't see how I'm going to get out and prepare for this ride whilst the kids are around. Which they always are if I'm not at work. So I have two choices.

The first is to cycle around after the kids are in bed, the house is tidied etc - genrally around 9.3pm (and with winter looming this just doesn't appeal, and I'll probably be arrested as the local nutter/on suspicion of burglary...)

The second is to take them with me, which means I shall have to get one of the kiddy carriages that two or three blogs ago I swore blind I wouldn't do. And will set me back the best part of £100.

Dilemmas, dilemmas.

Countdown to this years ride

Well, with the ride just a few days away for this year (I'm not riding until next) we've had good and bad news.

Registrations are high. We expect to be in the Bath press tomorrow, which is good because Bath numbers were down a while back.

But the Evening Post (Bristol) big spread has been delayed til saturday - theday before the ride, so that will have very little impact on our numbers.

Bristol City have agreed to do a photo shoot to open registrations on Sept 5.

And my family have all agreed to come help out on Sunday's ride, so (a) I won't miss out on the excitement, and (b) they'll see what all the fuss is about. (My eldest saw a tandem earlier in the week and was very taken with it, but the woman on the front hinted strongly that they're only fun if you're in the rear seat - I suspect that just getting myself along the 100 miles will be challenge enough without a four - probably five by next August - stone wriggle bottom on the back)

Great chance to meet some of the riders for PR stories for next year as well.

Oh, and last, but not least, my mother in law gave me a pair of bicycle clips, which solves the 'flares' problem. And I have to say they're really smart silver ones: don't suppose they make them like that any more.

I've worked out how to send a photo - not to the fixed part of this site (yet!) but at least I'll be able to put up images of this weekends ride. So this is what I look like...

Taking the kids riding with me

Was considering getting one of those dinky carriage things to trail the kids behind me whilst out training. Then i found this.

Bicyclists under age 16 accounted for 40% of all bicyclists injured in traffic crashes in 2000 and 28% of all fatalities. Severe brain injury causes 2/3 of bicycle-related fatalities. Use of a bicycle helmet, according to a major study done at Harborview, can prevent up to 88% of serious brain injuries. (Cascade Bicycle Club)

So maybe not...

Lynne Limbers Up to Fight Asthma

Bristol mother, Lynne Morgan is facing her biggest challenge yet, gearing up for her first Action 100 Bike Ride. The 100-mile charity bike ride runs annually from Bristol to London on 28th August 2005 in aid of Action Medical Research. Lynne’s challenge is made greater by the fact that she has suffered from chronic asthma for 30 years, nearly all of her adult life, controlling it with medication but finding any regular exercise difficult to manage.

But when husband Steve and son Matthew both encouraged Lynne to take part in the Action 100 Bike Ride with them this year, Lynne decided to give it a go and started attending spinning classes, the fun health craze currently spreading across the nation, at her local gym. After recruiting a friend to join her on the ride , and armed with a new road bike - a present from husband Steve who rode in last year’s Action 100 - Lynne has been taking to the Bristol roads in preparation for the 100-mile ride.

Lynne was attracted to supporting Action Medical Research due to the wide variety of conditions and disabilities that are helped in the process, including research into asthma. A recent grant awarded to the University of Southampton focused on what happens in an asthma attack, where the air passages in the lungs constrict and reduce airflow. Over five million people in the UK alone suffer from asthma, with over half a million people suffering an asthma attack almost every day, and further one million people have to put up with an attack every week.

Lynne said “I now cycle three times a week and continue my cross training at the gym. After a recent operation to help me breathe through my nose I have re-gained my sense of smell and can now cycle the great British countryside in its full glory!”

This year, the Action 100 Bike Ride aims to exceed its 2004 numbers: 450 cyclists raised over £52,000. This year its volunteers are targeting themselves with recruiting at least 500 people to take to their bikes for a great cause.

To secure your place on the Action 100 Bike Ride on Sunday August 28, call Roy Clarke on 0117 973 6993 or visit the website at www.action100ride.org.uk.

75% of Mark Rides Again for Charity

Mark Griffith, a 35 year old care manager from Bristol, will be riding this year’s Action 100 bike ride again this year after last year’s ride inspired him to lose over four stone and helped him to beat depression. Less than 14 stone of Mark will be riding in this year’s Action 100 ride on Sunday August 28, 2005, compared to a super-sized 18-stone in 2004. The ride annually challenges amateur cyclists throughout the UK to cycle 100 miles from Bath and Bristol to London to raise funds for Action Medical Research.

Challenged by a friend, and with just a few days notice, Mark, who rides 10 minutes each way to work and back daily, managed to raise nearly £120 for the charity. But he feels he was the one who gained the most:

“It really boosted my confidence,” said Mark. “I was stressed and depressed, but the camaraderie, the set up, the organisation of the whole ride with breaks, refreshments etc made it a real pleasure to be involved. Beforehand, at 18 and a half stone, I felt like a fat lump. Being able to ride 100 miles like that was such a sense of achievement that it spurred me on, gave me the confidence to start losing weight, change my eating habits, see a counsellor to help get back some of my old positive self and ultimately also to sort things out at work.”

If you would like to the Action 100 Bike Ride, there’s still time to register. Visit the website at www.action100ride.org.uk or telephone Roy Clarke on 0117 973 6993.

The Evil daisy Rides Again

I had some support through from the Picasa/hello crew. great I thought, we'll get this photo posted.

How wrong can you be.

My husbands saying he'll never buy me flowers again as I'm getting daily daisies - just not funny (firstly, he never buys them anyway, and secondly, well just not ....)

The support stuff gave me a URL and at least know the photo looks like me not their daisy logo. Which is progress, just not a photo.

I just love the way the tech tem have sent me a step by step breakdown of what's needed to post a photo:
"Below are some basic steps:
1. Send the photo you want to use as your Blogger profile picture to Bloggerbot and Publish it."


OK guys - HOW???!!!!

Different planet, I swear....

Words of wisdom

Twenty-first century words of wisdom:
She who wishes to cycle should not wear flares.

Lesson learned.

On the road

Yippppeeeee!!! I've done it - I'm riding a bike. I though it would take me days. The old expression, it's like riding a bike, you never forget, is true.

I stepped up onto the bike - saddle too high, was panicking that I couldn't get my feet on the ground - wobbled a bit and started to pedal. My husband held me straight for a few moments whilst I got the feel of it and then let go. I was laughing (hysterically, but don't tell them that), the kids were yelling 'come on mum, you can do it' and before I knew it, I was off!

(Down the road, that is, not off the bike)

Now I realise that a pootle around our close on a pedal bike is a long way off riding 100 miles. And I'll have to get the saddle sorted - I can't ride 100 miles asking passers by to give me a push off every time because my saddle's too high. But it's a major hurdle overcome. I'm elated - before the end of the summer i could be taking the kids out for rides.

Even better, I heard today that Lynne Morgan, a rider with chronic asthma, will be in the Bristol Evening Post today. And Mark Griffith, who lost 5 stone after being inspired by last years ride, will be in tomorrow.

Plus we've just had someone volunteer to help on the PR side, which is FANTASTIC as it really does need someone on the ground there to do the best possible job: with the best will in the world, I can't listen to Bristol radio/watch Bristol based news from here.

So all in all, things look rosy for the ride.

:-)

More on the evil daisy

Still trying to get images up onto the blog. Sent message to Picasa, company responsible for the evil daisy image that grins at me from my PC everytime I log on.

Got the requisite patronising sentence : "Blogger provides detailed instructions to accomplish this task on the following site" followed by URL. Do they think I didn't try and find the answer on-line? Do they they think I enjoy emailing smart arse propellor heads in the certain knowledge that I'll get back either an automated response or an "aren't you stupid, here's the [hiterto hidden] URL for your answer, go away and stop bothering us."

I know they want to be playing Doom or texting buddies, not dealing with me, but don't they realise I'll go away quicker if they help me.

Anyway, I've followed their instructions and still can't sort out the image, so it's obviously just too late at night.

All of which has nothing to do with the Action 100 ride, which now has over half the riders it needs to whoop our last years numbers (up over 15% on last year). However, the organisers are worried because they have less banners up reminding people about the ride (and therefore returning their application forms) and numbers from Bath are down.

Aiming to test the bike tomorrow - should give the kids/neighbours a laugh, if nothing else.

Send in your forms for this year

I've been sending out a press release this morning.

Action Medical Research has put out a plea for riders to return their registrations for its 24th annual Action 100 bike ride on Sunday August 29 as soon as possible. This not only helps the charity to plan, but eases workload on the volunteer registrations officer, Roy Clarke.

They had just over 300 registrations up until last Saturday - around 15% up on the same time last year, but have sent out around 6000 registration forms already this year. But registrations from Bath, which are normally really healthy, are down.

Traditionally, they get inundated with registrations in the last week. Last year, 450 cyclists rode, raising over £52,000. At this rate, over 200 applications will be returned over the next two to three weeks, all of which volunteer Roy has to process in his spare time.

They're concerned that people will forget - they had five outsized banners around Bristol as reminders last year. This year they’re down to three.

(The Action 100 bike ride challenges ordinary cyclists who are prepared to cycle 100 miles for Action Medical Research and I'm doing it next year because I'm too unfit this year)

Anyone wishing to take part in the Action 100 Bike ride on Sunday August 29 should contact Roy Clarke on 0117 970 6348 or visit http://www.action100ride.org.uk/.

Still no image

This is mad, mad, mad.

I just tried again to post an image to this blog, gritting my teeth, prepared to be sent to technology hell. it was simple - just click, add a message and up it goes: picture duly posted on blog... not!

Believing (because the software said it had) that my picture was now posted, I came back to my blog to take a look.

I hope no-one clicked on to peek in the intervening moments for there, sat proudly on my blog, were the words: 'An image of me'. A small step for mankind, I realise, but a significant one for me.

'That was easy' I thought: I was wrong. The evil daisy software had made me look more of a prat than the absence of entries. For there, sat proudly beside the words I'd sent from the software (Picasa) was..... nothing.

Now I'm not vain. I really don't think I'm going to be recruited for a leading part in Hollywood on the basis of my photo. Indeed, it may save a few computer screens if I don't have the picture up. But that's not the point. I'm going to be training for a bike ride. This has huge potential for comic moments, mainly visual. So I need to be able to do this small thing.

Please.

Back on line

So this wasn't the way I wanted to start a blog - with a two week gap in postings!

First off I spent a week trying to post a picture. Maybe I'm just being dim, but for the life of me I can't get the software to work. Worse still, every time I turn on the computer now a big sunny flower looms out at me saying 'Hello from Picasa', counting me down to log in time, apparently with my picture in its murky grasp (also now converted to a big blue flower, from what I can see).

It's some kind of sinister conspiracy I swear. The flower's just begging you to be cheery, but the more I look at it and can't persuade it to get off my screen, give up the photo and do as it promises (put the photo up on this blog), the more I want to tear it's petals off and put them somewhere nasty. (Is this blog rage?)

Anyway, having resigned myself to seeing the evil daisy daily, I shall find, eventually, a few minutes to call in some technical bod who will doubtless touch a single key and say 'All you have to do is...'

Meanwhile, the cycling's not progressing too fast either, although I have managed to shed a few pounds in anticipation (and they oh, so needed to go).

The tyres on the bike are now fixed, which is a fairly major step forwards. And this afternoon, kids and husband are lined up to witness my inaugural 'flight.'

If there's no posting here in the next day or so, you'll know it all went horribly wrong.

Now I'm off to have just one more go with the evil daisy.....