Sun shining in Aberystwyth[/caption]Well yesterday, Sunday 26 June, saw our fearless band of cyclists gather in Aberystwyth, ready for their epic journey all the way to Bertrams in Norwich. Here is the first of what we hope will be many reports from this coming week:
"Our intrepid group of A-B riders have gathered together in a small seaside hotel in Aberystwyth, before the long trip by bicycle from Aberystwyth to Bertrams. It was a warm journey to get over to Aberystwyth on Sunday afternoon, particularly for those who came on the train from Shrewsbury, as they had some very dubious air conditioning. We arrived worn out – and that was before we started the cycle ride! But being out in the open air will be so much better than being crammed into an old Arriva trains crowded carriage.
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Simon Cousins and Gavin Fraser talk tactics - such as which dessert to try next...[/caption]There are some cyclists who have got a tremendous amount of cycling experience behind them, used to group riding, long distances and soaking up the miles. Then there’s the rest of us – a little apprehensive, not quite sure how we’re going to cope with 20 miles of hill climbing at the very beginning of Day1, followed by another 330 of cycling over the week ahead.
The tour support host is an experienced cyclist by the name of Andy Cook. As part of our briefing this evening, Andy had very calming words for the more nervous among us - “It’s only a bike ride”.
We all got together in the early evening for a meal, where we chatted about all the different charities we were representing, and we were given lots of encouragement by Mark Charlton, Company Secretary and one of the riders. The group of cyclists are from all different parts of the business, including Martin Beach, from Norwich, who’ll be cycling home over the next 5 days (there must be a quicker way!).
Everyone is in pretty good spirits and we're all looking forwards to what’s going to be a really great experience for us.
It would be a real encouragement if you could help by donating to any of the very worthy causes chosen by the cyclists themselves. You’ll find details of the cyclists on our Sponsor a Cyclist page [sorry, link no longer available - Ed]. If you haven’t sponsored a cyclist yet, there’s still time to make a donation."
Thanks to Ian Tallamy for this roundup of 'pre-match nerves'!
More later on how the first day's ride, from Aberystwyth to Bishop's Castle has gone.
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