Updated on Oct 6th 2012 at 10:05 PM from the JustGiving API

Alarm set 6:00, 6:15, 6:30 just to make sure I am up in time for The Royal Parks 1/2 Marathon tomorrow!

Updated on Sep 17th 2012 at 10:08 PM from the JustGiving API

Thanks very much

Updated on Sep 13th 2012 at 11:31 AM from the JustGiving API

Thanks The Beans it was such a great experience we will get Steve on it next year!

Updated on Sep 11th 2012 at 11:48 AM from the JustGiving API

To all my wonderful supporters: Firstly, thanks so much again for your generous donations. Secondly, I am pleased to report that it is over! We rolled over the finish line at just after 6pm Sunday afternoon having spent 4 days on the road cycling from London toParis and back to London again. Here are our stats: KM covered: 1000 + Ride time: 33:28:11 (hr:min:sec) Average speed: 16.5 mph Pedal rotations: 192,768 Feet climbed: 20,324 Top speed: 52.1 mph Longest Stage: 182.57 miles (St Omer toParis) Punctures: 1 Crashes: 0 Energy drinks / Electrolytes: 28 litres Gels: 12 Energy bars: 7 Cheese and ham sandwiches: 9 Getting lost: 1 (seriously lost – nothing to do with detours) Occasions when having to speak French properly: 2 (see above) Being sick: 2 both of these were Joe on day four Being tired: all the time Being emotional: 1 Sprint wins: too few to mention Hill top wins: ditto OK, enough of that – here are a few of my fuzzy recollections of the event: Day 1 started warm and sunny and although the route out of London was busy we eventually got into our stride and hammered on down to Folkestone. The roads in France were smooth and empty for the most part and a joy to ride. The evening found us cruising into St Omer, over the pavé (twice) and the long-awaited steak, chips and beer. Day 2 was epic, with sprints to village name signs, attacks in the hills and long ‘detours’ all thrown in and with a slight headwind the going got quite tough in places. The scenery through The Somme is amazing and really shows you how vast and empty Franceis (compared to UK) and you couldn’t help imagining how tough the stage would have been had the weather been less kind. Arriving in Paris close to midnight might sound romantic but the reality was somewhat different. The traffic was manic, red lights stopped us ever few metres and the final 10 miles took close to 90 minutes, however, top marks to our support vehicle drivers who navigated us safely to the EiffelTower. When we arrived at the hotel the restaurant was closed and so we ended up eating McDonalds in the street and ‘Haribos’ in a garage forecourt. Very elegant… [182.57 miles] The next day’s exit from Paris via the Tower again (for photo opportunities) and the Champs Élysées was fabulous and after getting lost for an extra 30 miles, being found again, a flat out ‘Team Time Trial’ for 30 miles of rolling road (mostly in the dark) a memorable denouement in a remote layby and then a very entertaining dinner when we finally reached the hotel at the end of day 3, the feelings from the previous night were eased. The next morning featured a very pleasant ride into Calais which included a couple of ‘Descent Dangerous’ (hence the 52.1 mph) and we still had some energy left in the tank to rip along the last few miles into Guines. A quick time calculation meant that we needed to head on to the Eurotunnel, which we only made by the skin of our teeth thanks to a couple of punctures en route. Once back in England I think we all realised how very tired we were and kept in a pretty tight group but feeling much better, we started to motor along again. Just as well I managed to pull myself together because next up were the climbs over the South Downs. Once these were safely negotiated, we all knew that barring some drastic mechanical disaster or physical meltdown we were going to make it. The miles ticked on and eventually we saw the towers of Canary Wharf in the distance, the Shard and eventually our support vehicle which had raced on ahead to escort us through the final turns to our destination. There must have been a lot of dust kicked up in that last 100 metres as we all seemed to have something in our eyes – we had made it; London to Paris and back to London in 4 days. The welcome sight of my two boys and wife along with the overwhelming sense of achievement took over... Cast list: The Magnificent Seven: Jason, Craig, Rob, Vince, Derrie, Carl and Joe The Magnificent One Stage Wonder: Toby The VERY Magnificent Support Crew: Iain, Tom and Toby (who gets a second mention) The Magnificent Camera Operator and Blogger: Toby (again!!!) The Magnificent Mechanic and Back-up Camera Dude: Rick Many thanks Let's do it again in 2013!

Updated on Sep 10th 2012 at 7:34 AM from the JustGiving API

Wow, we did it now it's time to recover thanks for all your support

Updated on Sep 8th 2012 at 8:43 PM from the JustGiving API

Wow one more day !

Updated on Sep 7th 2012 at 5:38 AM from the JustGiving API

Thanks all for your great donations. Day one done Day two is about to begin!

Updated on Sep 4th 2012 at 3:40 PM from the JustGiving API

1 day 17 hours to go...

Updated on Sep 2nd 2012 at 9:19 PM from the JustGiving API

Thanks all for your support keep following the FB and twitter plus web page updates from Thursday for the news updates

Updated on Aug 23rd 2012 at 2:15 PM from the JustGiving API

Thanks Terry for your support, i hope you are all well cheers

Updated on Aug 22nd 2012 at 8:46 PM from the JustGiving API

Thanks Mr Such, you can just get on your bike and ride!

Updated on Jun 19th 2012 at 10:55 PM from the JustGiving API

8% of the way to our target, who else is going to join in the fun come on be part of it

Updated on Jun 1st 2012 at 6:17 PM from the JustGiving API

Thanks Sue D, dedications what you need if you wanna be record breaker yeah!

Updated on May 29th 2012 at 1:42 PM from the JustGiving API

Wow Mr Witney thanks very much very generous, I am sure more will follow your example now...

Updated on May 28th 2012 at 9:07 AM from the JustGiving API

Off line so far we are up to £200 so it's all going well...

Updated on May 28th 2012 at 9:06 AM from the JustGiving API

Mr Dunford thanks very much that'll get the troops in line - today's ride 17 miles mostly on the beach Minehead to watchet!

Updated on May 26th 2012 at 10:16 AM from the JustGiving API

For every 10k someone has the chance to win an iPad! Go go go

Updated on May 19th 2012 at 1:09 PM from the JustGiving API

Come and support my ride please text Care92 £**.** to 70070 ** = your chosen amount thanks

Updated on May 19th 2012 at 1:06 PM from the JustGiving API

First sponsor on board, ferries booked, accommodation booked, route sorted just need riders, supporters and sponsors

Updated on May 5th 2012 at 2:07 PM from the JustGiving API

Donate by texting CARE92 to 70070

Updated on May 5th 2012 at 2:04 PM from the JustGiving API

Coach found now the serious training begins #cycling

Updated on Mar 17th 2012 at 3:11 PM from the JustGiving API

60 miles this week now off for a week for wife's 40th birthday

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

The Big Ride for Carers 2012

 

The event is supported by Butlins, British Cycling and Ultimate Activities Limited.

 

Butlins has been supporting The Princess Royal Trust for Carers since 2008

 

British Cycling is the National Governing Body for cycling in Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, aiming to inspire participation in cycling as a sport, recreation and sustainable transport through achieving worldwide success.

 

Ultimate Activities are a UK based organisation who specialise in event planning and logistics for UK and worldwide team activities. They provide key professional personnel from the UK armed forces in disciplines to ensure the smooth running of all their events including paramedics and fitness experts.

 

What is “The Big Ride for Carers 2012”?

 

The event is a cycle ride from London to Paris and back September 2012

The distance overall is approximately 100 km’s over 4 days

The event is limited to 40 riders

 

The event is designed to raise much needed funding as well as awareness with the UK general public. By raising awareness we can help carers find the support they need in order that they can continue to give care to their loved ones on a daily basis.

 

There are over 6 million carers in the UK. At The Princess Royal Trust for Carers we aim to provide them with the support, advice and information necessary to assist them.

 

We rely entirely on the generosity of individual donations to help us continue our work.

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

 

So please dig deep and donate now.