I just wanted to share this good news with you……

Crack open the bubbles ladies…………………Craz cheekily (his word not mine!) put the Amsterdame08 event forward to the JustGiving site in their ‘Fundraisers of the Month’ feature and can now proudly announce that they chose us from thousands of other fundraisers!

See http://justgiving.typepad.com/ for details!

Plus they gave us £25 too!

WELL DONE EVERYONE!!!

Posted: June 9th, 2008 under the ride.
Comments: none

That is what Jill means to me!!!!

I have been reliably informed tonight that Jill (our fabby ride guide) got hold of the GPS (and re-launched ‘Mr Punchy’ to the world) just a day before the cycle.

OMG! Someone give this woman a medal. I can barely read a static map when stationary, let alone cycle 251 miles and deal with a GPS. (I tell you, if it was up to me you’d all gave been on a sleazy jet flight to Amsterdam rather than have to cope with modern technology mid ride) 

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL!

WE LOVE JILL! (and Mr Punchy), (and the special jelly!)

Marie
x

PS has anyone had confirmation that Jill survived our moans and groans and is indeed still alive and kicking – God bless that woman!

Posted: June 5th, 2008 under the ride.
Comments: 1

I take my hat off (well cycling helmet)…..barely a week after our return from Amsterdame 08 (just to reiterate that was 251 miles cycled!) out loyal blog follower Jana and fellow Amsterdamer is now undertaking another charity cycle (She’s a CRAZY laydee)!

Still, respect where it is due. She’s
a)    wiling to be forced back in the saddle and
b)    willing to push the goodwill limits of her sponsors where I daren’t

With this in mind I feel obliged to say that if anyone feels like checking out her challenge and supporting her in a very good cause then visit http://www.justgiving.com/janapasche

There’s just no satisfying us women!

Marie
x

Posted: June 5th, 2008 under the ride.
Comments: 1

Ooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes. STOP PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our justgiving page is showing that we’d raised over £35,000!

OMG!

Shish kebab!

For the love of lycra….

….good grief!

A HUGE pat on the back to all Amsterdame 08 ladies. We did a GREAT thing people!

Marie

Posted: June 5th, 2008 under the ride.
Comments: none

Ooooh – the novelty value has still not worn off each morning as I throw the covers back and admire my new shapely thighs. It may be wrong to admit this but it’s nice to pose in a mirror imagining that you’d now be able to wear skirts that almost show next week’s washing if you weren’t
a) soooooooooooooo past it
b) far too ‘Charlotte’ (in SATC) and
c) too embarrassed to root out that one skirt you keep from your teenage years that you’d like to try on in private (yes, I have one….or is it two???)

“But how long will they last?” says the voice in my head – to which I reply “It’d better last longer than it bloomin’ well took to get them!”. I figure that my ‘old thighs’ were a good 10 years in the making (I dedicated lots of wine, fast food and stressful working hours / lack of exercise to get them suitably bumpy!) ..so with that math I can go another 10 years on these ones before having to cycle 680 miles in 2 months to get them back again??! Here’s hoping….

…..or I could just steel Jill’s (our ride guide’s) legs of steel. (Was I the only one suitable impressed by those pins mid cycle…man those calves are ace!?)

What’s the alternative???………….I could get on the bike ASAP and keep trim. (LOL)…..

……..Ooooooooooh, if only I could. Does anyone else feel like they kinda put their life on hold a wee bit these last few months to a) fundraise like a daemon and b) train like a woman possessed? With that in mind I am in the midst of a house / garden and life re-cleanse…(that makes me sound all spiritual)…..it’s A.K.A a ‘flipping’ good clean and tidy’ – the kind of tidy where you can put on the big light and not be afraid of tumble weed floating past your guest’s feet.

Oooh – I get the feeling I’ve just admitted too much……back to the nude cycle this weekend. Anyone fancy joining Rachel in a bikini?

Marie
x

Posted: June 5th, 2008 under marie's training, the ride.
Comments: none

following marie’s post about statistics i got thinking about some of team 1’s even more impressive statistics and facts…

No of days away – an unbelievable 4… it felt like 8!

The best team – team 1!

Miles covered – between 251 and 260 (depending on whos cyclometer you’re using and what team you were in)

No of people left behind – 2, only the vast majority were needed in team 1

no of GLADIATORS READY! - 22

Spectacular falls – 3 that I know of (2 me, 1 Dave the cameraman)

Wee stops – too many too mention

No of times the GPS got us lost - anyone fancy a guess? Must be at least 20

No of times mr punchy dealt with the GPS – see above answer

Sweeties eaten – enough to feed a small army of obese American kids

How many cola cubes Karen can eat at once – 3, with room for 4 maltesers!

no of packets of emergency jelly - 3

No of Vaseline mix ups – none I know of! Would anybody admit?

Longest day – 13 hour

No of knackered, cow pat covered bikes – 21

no of wetsuit clad men encountered – 1 very confused but happy windsurfer

no of stricken prams helped – 1

no of lies about remaining distance….hmmmm

no of truths about remaining distance….1?

windmills encountered - 4

No of hours in a&e – 5!

no of doctors & nurses whilst in a&e - an impressive 8!

Posted: June 3rd, 2008 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 2

Here are the impressive ride stats from group 1 (via Helen’s bike tripometer)

Saturday 24th May - day 1

• Distance 62.94 miles
• Ride time 6 hours 28 mins and 32 secs
• Average Speed 9.7 pk
• Mx 24.4 (we have no idea what Mx is….amswers on a postcard please)

Sunday 25th May - day 2

• Distance 68.87 miles
• Average speed 9.0 mph (remember we had a very very strong headwind)
• Mx 63.2

Monday 26th May - day 3

• Distance 68.08 miles
• Average speed 10.5 mph
• Mx 68.2

Tuesday 27th May - day 4

• Distance 58.24 miles
• Average speed 10.7 mph
• Mx 18.6

Hmmmmm - not bad, not bad at all

That brings my total road distance cycled since 5th April 2008 to a grand 681 miles :) :) That’s in less than 2 months peeps and DOES NOT include any work on the exercise bike!

As Helen’s says - Chuffed as chips

Marie

x

Posted: June 2nd, 2008 under marie's training, the ride.
Comments: 5

It was GREAT, really GREAT. Do it – that’s what I say, if for nothing more than the selfish sense of achievement you get when you cycle past that finish line and high five the waiting ride organisers knowing that you’ve raised so much money and done such a good thing. As I said to many of the girls – what better way can you think of spending a May Bank holiday? I tell you, I am not one for blowing my own trumpet but it is enough to make you puff out your chest in pride.

It’s also emotional, so so so emotional. I cried when we set off, knowing that we’d smashed our group target of £30,000, and I’d started to cry little tears of joy under my sunglasses when we were about five miles from the finish. I just could not imagine what the reception would be like when we arrived ‘home’, and I knew I’d be a real cry baby. I had a lump in my throat which was conveniently the size of a cola cube.

Upon crossing the finish line and doing a few ceremonious laps of the car park I came to a halt, promptly saw my Mum and set off wailing in spectacular proportions whilst trying to hide from all the camera flashing and videotapes rolling. I was relieved to see, however, that I was not alone. As I turned to the team there were very few dry eyes around me and hugs aplenty. It was such a sense of pride at not only going the distance, but in enjoying it and raising so much money in the bargain.

It was odd though– you’d think after living on a bike for 4 days that we’d want to get off them, but not one of us jumped off the bikes upon arriving at the finish line. Instead we stood astride them, not quite believing we’d made it and wishing it wasn’t all over. Two women even staged a sit down protest at the fact that it was all over. The only thing that made us dismount was the issuing of cold beer and champagne and the promise of one last rude aerobics session (this time tailored to the family market  ).

It was a bit odd too saying goodbye to my hire bike – that thing had been damn good to me. I’d had no punctures and my chain never so much as came off once. I know it’s only a hunk of metal (and it was not even pink!), but I felt sad to walk away and leave it……….that feeling lasted about 10 minutes until I realised the benefits of not having to cart bikes home and wash them  Joyous! Instead I could concentrate on tracking down that champagne bottle ……now where did it go again?

If you are even so much as tempted to join one of charity adventures cycle trips I would say do it, do it, do it! Just make sure you put the effort in to prepare yourself for the cycle beforehand and it’ll be a walk in the park And what’s more, it does simply wondrous things to your thighs

Marie

x

Posted: June 2nd, 2008 under the ride.
Comments: none

I feel it necessary to highlight that although we cycled 251 miles, in Jill’s miles that is actually 1,000 miles in total. Allow me to explain…

When we were at our most weary (especially on day 2 when, in VERY strong headwinds, we cycled the equivalent of 100 miles minimum) we’d start asking ‘how far?’.The group would go quiet (which was VERY unusual) and, like children, we would start to mope on our bikes, heads slung low over the handlebars, legs sagging at the knees and we’d ask in weak croaky voices ‘are we nearly there yet?’ This would ALWAYS be met with a blast of motivation, love, strawberry jelly (don’t ask!) and enthusiasm from our ride guides who assured us there was just X miles to go. Perked up by the distance left we’d power on with renewed energy, dreaming of warm showers and a cold beer and more often than not we’d burst into song and normal service would be resumed. Eventually it transpired that Jill’s miles are MUCH further than actual miles- we estimated about 4 times longer. However, only realising this on day 4 we had been blissfully (and thankfully) unaware of the miles we’d been putting under our belts during the hard times previously. Clever – very clever

Marie

x

Posted: June 2nd, 2008 under the ride.
Comments: 2

The ride was one big adventure filled with many a ‘mini adventure’ – A.K.A unplanned deviations from the pre specified route..(i.e we got lost quite a few times). In other more diplomatic terms (or depending on who tells the story), we got misled by the GPS a few times which meant that group 1 potentially did more miles than the two other groups (certainly on day 1) – that’s more miles for your sponsorship peeps! Us ladies are cracking value for money!

We rode across fields, nettle patches, dual carriage ways, trams lines, train tracks, farm lanes, cow pats and across driveways in the pursuit of a good GPS signal. Our amazing ride guide Jill would placate our mumbles and grumbles with promises and assurances that this was absolutely the right way to go, as the more canny cyclists among us would slide towards the back of the group ready for the inevitable u-turn, smug in the knowledge that they’d saved themselves a few yards of cycling. So to all of you who said that after 250 miles you’d hardly notice any additional miles – trust me, we did!

Technology, you gotta love it. The GPS was tetchy – granted it got us there any back in one piece, but Jill’s Mr Punchy had serious words with it on several occasions. It seemed to do its best to send us every which way but the right way, which was so frustrating for poor Jill – and understandably so. The best comment that sums it up was that of the lovely Imogen who, on day two when Jill’s bike crashed to the floor at the ferry terminal said ‘Oh thank God, it’s just the GPS. Maybe now we’ll find our way” Classic!

But what’s more, some of group 1’s mini adventures and extra miles were hills- huge, flipping, unapologetic Yorkshire hills, god bless them. Day 1 saw the lovely ladies of group one stop at the foot of many of these hills, staring skywards with fear in their eyes and sugar in their pockets. We huffed, puffed and panted our way up and down the country lanes- hills and all – before celebrating our literal rise to success with yet more chocolate bars and much needed energy drinks. Of course any up means a down, so we whooped and hollered our way down the hills, hair flying out of helmets, coats billowing in the wind and mascots wobbling uncontrollably in panniers. It did us good – that’s what I keep telling myself. My thighs are so much better for it, and by day four we tackled hills with spectacular style and speed, barely noticing they were even there….stuff the 250, that’s REAL achievement!
Marie

x

Posted: June 2nd, 2008 under the ride.
Comments: 2