Denise clocked up 1,004 miles as we rolled into Mile Oak at 6pm on Friday evening. Me, because I had driven a van for the first few days, only managed a mere 860 miles. Despite being exhausted, we were both a little pleased with ourselves. The day had been what I expected, given that once we reached Ashdown Forest I knew every hill that lay behind every corner - given my experience marking 'sportives' around this area recently.
My temporary repair on the trailer seemed to work well and it behaved itself and we clocked up 69 miles for the day and seemed to spend most of it cycling in the rain, which topped up my 'rusty' complexion which now also doubles as a sun tan. Guy - many thanks for the loan of the trailer and I promise I will repair it!
I spoke to Jack last night, who arrived home by plane from Newcastle late on Friday afternoon, to be greeted by a champagne celebration from his wife Julie and the girls and he is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, despite his disability and the fact he has raised what I estimate to be just over £3k.
Now Jack has to return to the normality of everyday life - watching cricket, the olympics, oh and then the football season starts and he can start enjoying the roller coaster ride of supporting Newcastle United - not a bad life.....
I have so many people to thank for making this whole adventure possible.The team for starters who gave up their holiday and stayed with Jack during the ride to keep him safe and to all those generous people out there who put their hands in their pockets during what are really tough times at the moment, to sponsor Jack and the team and raise so much money for the Huntingtons Disease Association. In particular, I would like to thank my wife Denise for her work during the ride and Simon and Jane, who managed to collect nearly £400 from their contacts.
We met some amazing people on our travels, who were so supportive and helpful, which made the ride all that more fun and helped us out in times of a mini crisis. Take Neil and Sue from the Newtonmore hostel. Not only did they give Jack free accommodation and do our laundry free of charge, they ran Rob down to the station so he could be with his mum who was seriously ill. They also arranged for his bike to be couriered back to Brighton.
Also, David and Gillian Mclaren deserve a special mention, because not only did David give us a guided tour of Edinburgh, he delivered us safely into our hotels, after inviting us into their home and feeding us with cake and tea/coffee.
Once we arrived in Newcastle, we were treated royally and many thanks to Tom and Carole for their hospitality for the the night and looking after Jack so well the following week. I would also like to give a special mention to Alan, Brian and everyone at the Blakelaw club who were absolutely amazing too. Alan organised us to use his mobile home in Creswell (an area we were struggling to find affordable accommodation) which was gratefully received and despite the horrendous thunder storm that took out all power to the area for 24 hours, we were able to feed ourselves, thanks to the food and drink they had left for us in the fridge - I do hope we did not leave too much of a damp mess!
At the club in the evening, Jack and our team were again treated like royalty and the club generously donated £480 towards the cause and it was a privilege to see first hand the good work a 'working men's' club, does in the local community, although I will have to practice trying to understand the broad Geordie accent.
And the list goes on, thanks to my brother Nick and sister-in-law Helen, who put us up in Swainby (I still can't quite believe I managed to miss that right turn which resulted in me going through the worse experience I have ever had on a bicycle!
And there are so many other people, too numerous to mention, but you know who you are. But apart from the experience, the challenge and the money raised. I would like to think that we have raised the profile of Huntington's Disease to our friends and strangers we have met on the way. Many when looking at Jack's condition did not believe what Jack was doing.
Jack, you not only proved what we are all capable of if we try, you proved that having a disability does not mean that life has to stop - more importantly you proved something to yourself.
Well done mate - everyone is so proud of you.
Howie
No comments:
Post a Comment