Scroll down the page for older posts about my ride
With just six weeks to go to the start of the ride I'm now really looking forward to getting
going.
I have been getting plenty of miles training in, mainly on my road racing bike. At just over
7kg it is about half the weight of my touring bike which I will be using for the ride, so I think
I had better get some practice on that now!
The route is fully sorted but, as I said in an earlier post, I may deviate from it slightly as the
mood takes me. I intend to enjoy this ride to the full and not be a slave to it. Some parts of
the route I am fairly familiar with, such as the beautiful Isle of Wight roads that I knew like
the back of my hand many years ago, but there are many areas which will be new to me -
especially the Outer Hebrides which I can't wait to see (my fingers are crossed for some
good weather on that final stretch!)
I have got tickets for my train journeys, Preston to Southampton £28, not bad for over 250
miles of rail travel. And coming back, Inverness to Lancaster, an even longer journey, for
an unbelievable £12.55! I do like a bargain.
When I started the planning I thought I would just slip away quietly and unnoticed from the
Isle of Wight, but that (thankfully) is not to be! I managed to make contact with friends and
family of Finlay and they have been fantastic in their support and interest in what I am
doing. Some of them live on the Island and some, including Finlay's son and brother on
the mainland, but they are all making the effort to be there when I set off from Sandown.
And hopefully I will get the chance to meet them all for a drink the night before. (not much
drink for me mind, I have a long way to go the following day!) I also hope to meet Finlay's
brother who still lives on Lewis when I get to the end of the trip.
I had originally thought of taking my tent to use a few nights along the way, but I changed
my mind over that when I realised it would only get used two or three nights. It just would
not be worth carrying the extra weight. That's my excuse anyway! Maybe I'm just getting
soft in my old age?
On the Isle of Wight I will be staying at a b&b just outside Sandown, handy for a nine o'clock start the following morning. Friends are very kindly putting me up for the night in Salisbury. Joanna is meeting me in Shrewsbury for a night, then I am staying with my
sister and her husband on the Wirral on the Saturday night before spending a night at
home on Sunday. Northwards from Garstang, Joanna is joining me in Carlisle then I'm on
my own, staying mainly in hostels.
Fundraising is going a bit slow, but I am confident I will reach my £500 target. You never
know, I may even get some donations along the way.
And don't forget, I will be doing a daily update whilst I am on the ride so you can keep up to date on where I am and what my days ride has been like.
And don't forget, I will be doing a daily update whilst I am on the ride so you can keep up to date on where I am and what my days ride has been like.
Let's not forget the two men who I am doing this ride in memory of
Finlay, a friend and colleague who gave me the idea for the ride many years ago. Finlay died suddenly last year of a heart problem.
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| Finlay Mackenzie |
And many years ago Keith, my brother died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart problem at the age of just thirty-eight.
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Keith ColeranI'm sure that most people reading this will have known someone affected by heart disease. The British Heart Foundation says -'Our vision couldn’t be much more ambitious - a world where people no longer die prematurely from heart disease.' - British Heart Foundation.By sponsoring me on this ride you will be helping the British Heart Foundation achieve that vision! They rely totally on the generosity of the great British public.
Go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you!
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