Challenge Over - What to Do next?

Well here we are three days after Ride 100, still pleased with my performance, and OK with the funds raised for The EIKON Charity - would have been nice to done better on that front, but we raised ~£5,000 altogether.

Sunday morning me passing through West Byfleet

I've been to the gym, briefly, for a gentle workout and I generally feel good. Yes I've been back on the bike too, OK only a short two mile ride to the shops and back but it felt good the legs weren't protesting. 

I think this weekend I will take another ride out with my local Pure Motion team. 

I've already had suggestions from some about what to do next - polite and otherwise - like foreign cycle tours, other local events, etc. but as yet I'm undecided. 

However, certain I'm going to do something. I think its the challenge we need to drive us along, that mountain to climb, river to cross, call it what you will we all need a challenge.

As I said at the start, I'm still happy with my time for the 100, but I'm sure if it were not for the early season fall and injuries I could have put in a rather better time. Which is what I intend to do next year... Yes, I really think I'm going to do it again, cos' I thoroughly enjoyed it.

But for now back to the general cycling and maintaining fitness, which is where it all started.

Hills on Sunday

One of the benefits of living in Surrey is that we have the hills made famous by the Olympic cyclists on our door step, the down-side just now is that everyone is trying to ride them in preparation for the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 and Classic events in two weeks time.

Still we gathered on Sunday morning at Pure Motion Cycles, and set off to tackle a few hills, with the aim of a half-way break at Peaslake.

Having figured that the Vachery Triathlon was taking place we had to make some minor last minute adjustments due to restricted roads  but our ride leader knew the area well enough that we soon had a route in mind and set off.

The weather was a little strange with the humidity rising and even a few drops of rain on some of the higher parts of the ride, but we made our stop in Peaslake, as planned. Despite the poor road conditions only suffered one puncture en-route and generally had an excellent ride out and back.

Father's Day Ride

A fine morning for a ride with a group (David, Justin, Simon, Vicky & Bijan) from Pure Motion Cycles heading out of West Byfleet to Box Hill and back. 

I'd not joined the group before, but was welcomed and appreciated their looking out for me as we rode - turned out to be a pretty fair test for me, having only recently got back to some distance, and I found the pace just a little quicker than my norm. But was thoroughly enjoyable.

According to MapMyRide+ http://mapmyride.com/workout/303809815 

• Total Distance: 44.33mi, 
• Time: 03:10:32, 
• Pace: 4:18min/mi, 
• Speed: 13.96mi/h.

All great practice and much needed training for the upcoming event [PruRideLondon-Surrey100/EIKON] and I look forward to getting out again soon.

EIKON - The Worthy Cause?

At Eikon the aim is not just short-term success, but sustained positive outcomes over a long-term period.  Martin is now 22 years old, but was supported by Eikon some 10 years ago; he still stays in touch: 

• “In 1998 when I was 10yrs old my mother passed away due to breast cancer, and subsequently my father became an alcoholic. Consistent with a typical alcoholic, there was depression, drunk-driving, lying, irrational behaviour and increasingly having to go into hospital, so that my sister and I were often left on our own. As a result of this I found it difficult to concentrate in school, and my education and general wellbeing suffered. I first encountered Eikon on a residential trip to an outdoor activity centre in Devon. This was a great opportunity to meet people that had similar problems. 

• Eikon helped me get much needed counselling, and arranged socials that children like me didn’t get in their own families.  As of last year I have just graduated from University with an honours degree in Business Studies. I have since found a job, proposed to my fiancé, and we aim to buy a house together soon.  Having support through Eikon was a great help to my self-esteem and confidence. I think what is really important is that a child’s upbringing shapes the path of their future. If that path strays too far off course, it can affect the rest of their life with sometimes irreversible effects. I feel that Eikon can help change that”.

Thank-you so much for enabling us to support young people like Martin.  Every single penny we raise is important to us, and will help us reach out to even more young people who urgently need our help.

Our children are the future, so lets try to ensure they have as bright a future as possible by helping them through the tough times, when the world around them throws that 'curve ball' some one needs to be there to help.