A Friend In Need.....

Hello

Last weekend was the Wiggle Bournemouth Sportive and I opted for the Epic distance, 103 miles, a large circular route from Bournemouth airport, up to Salisbury, across to Shaftesbury, down to Blandford before return to Bournemouth Airport.  I'm starting to feel quite at home on these events now, geared up in lycra I know the routine and what to expect so I can almost take it in my stride - amazing how 6 months or so changes things!

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The Wiggle Bournemouth is perhaps one of the easier rides I have lined up for training, so I was hopeful of getting a silver medal time, although that would mean an improvement of over 40 minutes compared to my last time out.  A lack of wind and less hills meant I was a little more confident of achieving that, but you never know.

Most of the ride was a bit of a blur to be honest, there were plenty of quiet country lanes and nice scenery but I wasn't really taking it all in, I was concentrating on my pace and trying to bank minutes by my first stop at the 56 mile point.  Normally on these rides it's easier if you ride in a group, the slipstream that you get behind a lead rider make an incredible difference to the effort you need to put in, but sadly everyone was either a lot faster or a lot slower, nothing in between, so I plodded on regardless.  As I headed to the second feed station (and my first stop) I had well over 10 minutes in the bank so I was feeling pleased, all going well. I quickly filled my drink bottles, grabbed some flapjack, jelly beans and banana  before jumping back on.

Next up was Bulbarrow Hill, Dorset's highest point and a tremendous climb and could derail my medal time if I tried to push it too hard.  Nothing quite sets you up for a big climb as well as the sight of a para-glider at the top getting ready to soar over the rolling valleys below.  According to Strava I was climbing the hill for over 17 minutes at 7.7mph, a long slog, but worth it when you get to the top, the views are amazing as you can see from the pic below (not taken by me):

The usual aches and pains had cropped up from about 40 miles onwards (a bit later on than usual, so perhaps I'm getting used to it), my back in particular aches so much the thought of getting off the bike is incredibly seductive! After Bulbarrow I started to pass a few people who were suffering from the ride, some on their first long distance ride, others who had pushed themselves too hard on the earlier stages.  I feel for people who are struggling along like that (having been there myself enough times), so I try and give some encouragement to them and, if I can, help them out (although I'm no technical cycling genius, so my help is somewhat limited).

Luckily for me I had some support out on the course, when you're cycling for 7-8 hours and you're exhausted it does give you a real boost and it really helped me push on and build on my 10 minute advantage.  Carla and her mum passed me cheering away and then parked up ahead of me so they could get out of the car to cheer me some more, this was repeated at several points. I'm fortunate that my grimace looks somewhat like a smile, so as they cheered me on I appeared to smile gleefully back!

Further up the road I spotted a rider who had stopped and was carrying his bike along.  At this point he was around 2 miles from the 3rd and final feed station and 80 miles in to the ride, so a long and weary walk if he were to get to the feed station for a lift (if one were available).  Fortunately Carla had seen him struggling as she had completed her latest drive by and was already on the way back to pick him up as I signalled her to slow down so I could ask her to do the same.

The poor chap was absolutely shattered, his first long distance ride and sadly his chain had snapped so he was no longer able to continue.  He was absolutely delighted to get a life to the finish line, approximately 23 miles away, although I gather he was told, at length, all about my epic LEJOG journey for his troubles.  In fact I know he was told all about it because no sooner had he got home had he written a lovely message as he donated £100 to our cause!  Sadly I don't know him and have no way of contacting him to say thanks for such a kind and generous donation, so if you know of Ian Hudson, please let me know, I'd like to thank him.

I'd like to think if I hit the same problems someone else would try to do the same and help out, on this occasion I happened to be in a position to help out (I also carry a spare chain, so I could have provided that as a last resort too).  I think it's moments like this that you can be a friend to someone you've never met and don't know but can feel genuinely good about it.  What a lovely gesture, I'm so touched!

After the drama and a very brief stop and the final feed station I began the final 20 miles return led, and I pushed on knowing that I was well within the target time so I should be on track for a silver, my legs pumped and slowly but surely I began overtaking groups of riders, I really belted out the last 20 (at least by my standards) and felt pleased with how my stamina held out, and here's my certificate to prove it, over 26 minutes inside the Silver time and if I'd pushed a little harder (and been a bit quicker at the feed stations) I could have saved the extra 16 minutes I needed to get to Gold!

Lastly, and by no means least, many of you will have seen Brendon and I in Saturday's edition of the Echo, what a lovely write up.  If you missed it, check out here:

Daily Echo Article

That's it for now, happy riding and don't forget, if you can lend a hand, why not, you'll feel all the better for it and you never know how someone may repay a kindness.

Thanks for reading

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Mike

All in a day....

Hello

A day.  A lot can happen in a day, it can be the best of your life, it can be a day that changes your life forever, a bad day at the office or the day you vowed to chase the dream you've always wanted.  Days can mark a special point in time, your anniversary, your birthday, a religious holiday.

I've had a mixture of days recently.  Wednesday 28th May is a special day, but it is tinged with sadness.

If Lisa was still around it would mark her 31st birthday.  It's a tragedy that she is not here to celebrate it.  But sometimes the stars that shine for the shortest time shine the brightest, and that she did.  Lisa battled cystic fibrosis almost in private, as much as she could she kept it out of her life.  I hope you find the following video inspirational, it's a small example of the courage, bravery and determination that Lisa and my father had.



A strange coincidence that the same day is also World Multiple Sclerosis Day (http://www.worldmsday.org/wordpress/tag/multiple-sclerosis/), and as you will have read in previous posts, the MS Society and CF Trust are the two charities we are raising money for via LEJOG and elsewhere.

And whilst some days are tinged with sadness, others on this journey are filled with joy.  On Saturday 24th June we held a murder mystery night at North Baddesley Infant School, over 100 people attended and a huge amount of people helped out from the organising on the day to donating prizes to our charity raffle.  It was an amazing night, filled with laughter and a fair few drinks which raised £2,000 towards our total and hopefully raised awareness of multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis! 

Here's an article if you'd like to read more about it:

http://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/chameleons-help-raise-2000-for-cystic-fibrosis-multiple-sclerosis-charities/#more-15218

On Sunday I managed a cycle with Brendon, we headed across the South Downs on an 85 mile circuit and I must admit, that day I felt like I floated up and down the hills, still buoyed by the tremendous time we had the night before.

Here's a selfie from the ride and the usual Strava profile

Lastly I'll sign off on Saturday 31st May - the most challenging day so far in my cycling challenge - the longest ride 103 miles.  It isn't as hilly as some of the others, so fingers crossed I can get a silver time (I need to cross the finish line 7 hours and 21 minutes after I start, last time out it took me 8 hours although I had wind and many more hills to contend with.  Fingers crossed

Here's a link to the ride if you're interested in the route:

http://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/maps/ukce_wss_bournemouth_sportive_2014.pdf

Thanks for reading and happy pedalling!

Mike

MS and me

It was a strange event, I was intrigued, my dad had come to visit me in junior school.  I was ushered out of the class and went down to the gymnasium where he was stood there waiting for me in his naval uniform.  It was quite a mystery why he had come to visit, the feeling I had was akin to creeping downstairs on Christmas morning, full of excitement.  Dad's face was serious, but I was too young to be fearful of stern faces about to deliver bad news, and in any event, I wasn't going to understand the news.  Dad had come to tell me that he and mum were getting divorced.  I didn't really know what that meant so I was quite excited when I returned to class and shared the news with my friends.

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For a time, not much really changed, as dad was away at sea most of the time and I was at school I didn't see him as I was growing up, although it did begin to settle in and I began to despise my father.  Mum did a terrific job of bringing us up, she worked hard and my sister and I had lots of laughter and love.  Obviously funds were a little tighter than they had been, but I don't recall ever missing out on anything.  But at school I was teased for not having the latest trainers or the coolest sports top.  I struggled with that quite a lot and didn't handle the teasing in the best way, which just made things worse.  I guess as children we can be cruel sometimes and what we couldn't appreciate is that events at home were taking their toll, but it's easy to look back now and say we'd have done things differently.

Fast forward several years and my mum and dad had got back together and things were looking up and starting to feel settled.  Life felt good.

I remember the Saturday morning very clearly, mum, dad and I were going to head in to town for a shopping trip.  I was excited about the prospect of shopping for the latest trainers, but it was more important than that, it was an iconic moment that showed the Lashmars were back and I was bursting with joy.  I was sat in the living room watching television whilst mum and dad were in the kitchen, a few hours before our trip. And then it started.....

I froze to begin with, the noise was eerie and scared me, an inhuman wailing, like a wild animal was in the house and I was terrified, rooted to the spot.  Seconds seemed to last forever as the noise continued filling my young body with gut wrenching fear.  From somewhere I managed to summon up the courage to head to the kitchen to find out what was going on, by then mum was screaming and a huge part of me didn't want to know what was going on, but I was about to find out.

Dad was writhing on the floor, it was entirely unnatural, his face which was contorted in a way that scared me as he wailed and groaned, it was like he was possessed.  Mum was in a state of panic, but was in control, she was trying to force her hand into dad's mouth to stop him biting his tongue as he fitted, she instructed me to get help from our friends who lived nearby.  The rest is a bit of a blur, I'm not sure if I or our friends called for an ambulance, I do remember running as fast as I could in my socks to their house to get help, but not much else.

What I didn't realise at the time, but I do now, was that this was a seminal moment in dad's battle with multiple sclerosis ("MS").  I don't think I was even aware of his illness before then, he was still working in the Royal Navy and appeared to function normally, but this was the beginning of our MS story for me.  If you think of your nervous system as a vast swathe of electrical cables, insulated to ensure the signal gets from one place to the next, then MS somehow causes your immune system to attack the cables, disrupting the signals that are sent.  Dad had progressive MS, but not only was it affecting his nervous system, it was affecting his brain too, hence the fit.

From then on life for dad progressively got more difficult, he struggled to walk and eventually couldn't, lost feeling in his hands, struggled to swallow and more beside.  As he had it in the brain too it impacted everything from mood to memory and it was sad to see decline in the once sharp mind that propelled him such a long way from joining the Royal Navy as a school leaver to an officer charged with looking after weapons communication systems that were highly complex.

As a teenager I struggled to come to terms with MS, but perhaps that's a story for another blog.  Instead, now is time to focus on my fight with MS (and cystic fibrosis), and by taking on Land's End to John O'Groats there is a focal point that may help us raise funds to fund those clever boffin scientists to develop a cure for these diseases, because it's high time we gave them the heave-ho!  So if you haven't yet, I invite you to join me in our efforts.  Thank-you.

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Training Update
This weekend was 100 miles, the first was a very hilly 60 mile route across the South Downs with Chris Moody, some beautiful vistas across the rolling countryside made the climbs worthwhile with some amazing weather to boot.  I must admit I struggled with the hills, it was definitely a mistake to miss out on my brekkie as I was short of calories.  Chris is a seasoned hill climbing cyclist, so I'm lucky he was patient with me and waited several times for me to catch up!  It just shows that with only 2 months to go there is plenty of scope for improvement and many small challenges ahead of the big ride itself!  Here's the ride from Strava:

And last but not least, some pics from my Jurassic Beast Sportive last weekend:

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Jurassic Beast!

Hello

This weekend I decided to up the training a gear to really test how far I'd progressed, here's how it went.

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Saturday - 50 mile warm up

On Saturday I was joined by Garts for a ride around the forest, I planned out a 50 miler that I've done before that heads from Bramshaw to Lockerley (north west of Romsey) before tracking West towards Salisbury before tracking down towards Salisbury and then back home.

A few bumps on the ride make it a nice little warm up and both Garts and I pushed it out quite hard, making 15mph average pace which is pretty good going for me.  The gusty high wind and my aching back are ominous signs for the next day, so I cut the ride slightly short to about 47 miles, but overall a cracking warm up ride.

Sunday - 101 mile Jurassic Beast

The alarm was due to go off at 5:45am, but it didn't, I was already awake wondering if the cramp I had in my thigh last night would a sign of things to come. I tiptoed around the house finalising my kit putting it in my car, nearly forgetting my cycling shoes - I'm tired and I hope I wake up properly.

At 6:25am the car is ready and so am I; I pull off the driveway and begin the drive to Bovington Tank Museum, the start and finish location of the Wiggle ride.  By the time I arrive the car park is already busy with people preparing bikes and I grab my helmet and get out to head towards the registration centre.  One thing strikes me immediately, it is very windy and the wind is making me cold.  I curse not having my cycling coat and start to worry about how cold I will be on the ride and how all he coated riders that are swarming around will think I'm an idiot.  There's nothing I can do about it so I decide all the other riders will have to make do with thinking I'm a hard nut and I'll just have to grin and bear it.

The registration area is in the tank museum itself, a cracking setting but a long way from my car which gives me plenty of time to think about the gusting wind and the ride itself.  I decide that if the going gets tough I will repeat a few mantras, think positively and even hum a few good tunes in my head.

Within no time I'm on the start line, my computer is started to record my time and off we go.  I start in a peleton of around 20 riders and as we reach about 3 miles the course splits and whilst I head right on the "Epic" course most of the peleton head left on the "Short" or "Standard" course and I curse them for having a much easier time of it!

At about 11 miles I hit the first hill at Winterborne Houghton, a chocolate box village with Aston Martin's on the driveways and a ridiculously steep hill.  One of the riders jokes to me that "it's a bit dodgy around here" and I smile, the hill is tough but manageable, I feel strong and I push on.  Another 4 miles on and then another big hill, I push on through and all is good, months ago I would have struggled with this so the training seems to be paying off.  The good thing is whilst I can hear the strong winds rushing through the trees the high banks and hedges on the side of the windy countryside roads protect us.  So far so good.

On 20 miles there is yet another massive hill, a lot of people get off and push and I don't blame them, I'm very tempted, I sterr to my left to avoid one rider who is painfully walking up the hill and my bike wheelies because of the steepness of the hill, I manage not to fall off and get back on to complete the climb.  My back has already started to ache and it's a tough climb, but I cannot give in and I don't!  It seems to take an age to climb the hill at 3-4mph, but I remind myself of the downhill that will inevitably follow and I dig in.  The downhill comes as my legs scream for relief, my lungs burning and my glasses fogged with the effort, very soon I'm well over 30mph.

All of a sudden I'm shoved hard from the left, my bike is wobbling dangerously and I'm really struggling to keep control, I can't anchor on the brakes hard, If I do I'll be off, and if I'm off I'm checking in to hospital. I'm terrified, this is seriously bad and could easily end my LEJOG dreams!  The banked sides have ended and the road is fully exposed to the buffeting gusts, I need to get the bike speed down and get in control of the bike.  I battle for what seems like an age, the bike fishtails and wobbles, this is not good. I struggle, adrenaline is ripping around my body, I'm very very scared, but after what in reality is 3 or 4 seconds I get the speed down enough to get in control.  Phew!

I've now convinced myself that all the major hills have been done and despite the near mishap, things are going well, another big hill arrives on 30 miles just after I ride past the first feed stop and I manage to ride with a group without dropping back - a new experience for me, normally I just get left behind.

At 40 miles I ride through Piddletrentihde and Piddlehinton and it's at this stage I start getting hacked off by the wind, if it's not pushing me back it gusts from the side, when I should be going 20mph I end up going 12mph, the hills become much tougher than they need to be as the wind pushes me back down them, but I'm still pushing an average of over 14mph so I keep going.

One good thing about these organised rides is the social side of it, people ride past and gee you up or briefly chat about the conditions, they also tend to point out potholes and warn of oncoming cars or let you know if the junctions are clear when ahead of you.  If nothing else it helps break up the ride, those few seconds of conversation make all the difference when you are otherwise on your own and for once I feel able to speak to fellow riders rather than feeling like I'm struggling to utter a word.  For the first time on one of these rides I feel like I'm a part of it rather than an outsider who doesn't belong.

On 56 miles is the second and my first feed stop, huge butts of energy drink and all sorts of food.  I gulp down a banana, jelly beans and some flapjack.  My two water bottles are empty and I'm very thirsty so I gulp down some energy drink and fill the bottles back up, all done and dusted and I'm back on my bike in a few minutes - a quick time check shows me at just over 4 hours in the saddle, I'm a bit behind where I want to be time wise, it's not too bad and I blame the wind for holding me up.  The good thing is I've done all the major hills so the rest is easy......

No it isn't.  It definitely isn't.  Just 4 miles further at 60 miles my hopes and dreams of a nice flat (or downhill) remainder of the ride are absolutely shattered as I head to West Lulworth, a massive hill takes the wind out of my sails, but I stay in the saddle throughout the agonising climb. When you hit a big steep hill it gets tough pretty quickly, road bikes don't have the gears that a mountain bike so you can't sit there and spin your legs, you have to push through.  Very shortly your legs start to burn, your breathing rate increases and the sweat starts to pour.  The steeper the hill the more quickly the going gets tough and you get worn out, after that it's a case of how long you can tough it out for, it's mind over matter.  I manage to dig in (just) and I give myself a pat on the back as I enjoy the decent into West Lulworth, as with all the descents the gusty wind means I can't go full pelt but it's nice all the same and the scenery is absolutely fantastic.

At 65 miles we head towards Corfe Castle, an amazing site as it towers over the road, a circular tour out to Swanage follows and I'm expecting cramps at this stage, they normally appear around the 70 miles and make life agony, but they don't, yet.  I'm not too concerned, my back is agony, what started of as a murmuring dull ache has grown to full scale shouting pain, I try to shift around position, occasionally standing to pedal but ultimately there's not too much you can do about it and I just have to grin and bear it.  Thankfully my legs still feel strong and as the clock ticks over to the 6 hour mark I'm on 76 miles, less than 10 miles to the next feed stop and some sweet relief as I can allow myself to get off the bike again and stretch out my back.  The thought of getting off my bike and lying flat on the floor is incredibly seductive, but I must resist it, the ride will get more difficult if I do and I will just prolong my agony.

At around 80 miles someone in front drives straight off the road and in to a bush, going head over heels.  I would laugh if it were in any other setting but it's not, I know how he feels and why he's done it.  Tiredness is creeping in and it affects your concentration,  it's easy to make a mistake and the incident is a warning to me. I stop to check and thankfully he's fine if a little embarrassed.  I manage to remain in a group of a few riders and whilst my legs are starting to feel a little tired and heavy, I feel like I have enough left and apart from my screaming back, I'm in good shape.

The next feed stop is at 86 miles and I'm delighted to see it, I gulp down some more food and fill up on drinks again before heading off - 15 miles to go, the end is within touching distance and I cannot tell you how pleased I am.  But not so fast, one last huge hill climb sees more people off their bikes, I'm tempted beyond belief but manage to hang on and stay in the saddle.  I've had a stretch at the feed station but getting back on the bike just reinstated the pain and discomfort, I can't wait to get to single figures for miles left to go.

I count down the rest of the miles with glee, soon I can get off the bike, 7 miles, 6 miles, 5 miles....  My legs feel good, but they are now more like lead, I've now gone through my entire vocabulary of ride words to describe my back, my back and I are struggling to be on speaking terms, but I just need to hold on.  The thought of getting off my bike and walking the rest is seductive, I repeat my mantra and sing some tunes in my head desperately trying to distract myself.

Soon I see the Wiggle flags and I know I'm very close to home, then the emotions hit me just like the blustery wind earlier in the wide, I ride past a Wiggle marshall and she congratulates me, I gulp down and somehow manage a smile, I'm really struggling all the way to the finish line to control my emotions.  I know I'm being daft but I can't help it, after 8 hours of cycling (bar a few minutes and the feed stations) I'm exhausted.  Finally I get control of myself as I pass the finish line and get my finishing medal and I beam with pride, a really tough ride, over 7,000 ft of climbs and I did it!

So how did it go?  Better than expected, training is well and truly on track - although I'm glad I don't have to get up tomorrow and do it all again - come July 26th I will not have the choice, so I need to keep plugging away at it!

Thanks for reading

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Can you feel it?

Hello

Have you ever had that feeling?  I bet you have!  It's about the best feeling in the world.

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A huge surge of adrenalin combined with a heady mix of endorphins. you can feel your body truly come alive, powered by a million volts of super human strength.  Emotions race, you feel so elated you could fly and breakdown in tears all at the same time, it's an incredible feeling, special and amazing.  If you could sell it as a drug I'm sure it would be the most addictive, if you could bottle it, it would be priceless.  So what is it?

It's been a few weeks since my last post, a two week holiday to China has been a fantastic break from the all consuming training and fund-raising, but I'm glad to get back in to the groove as the timer has now clicked below 100 days until the Land's End to John O'Groats ("LEJOG") challenge (in fact, it now stands at 82 days!).  Whilst in China I had plenty of time to think about LEJOG, visualising crossing the finish line was one of the better thoughts to cross my mind, saddle sore, aching legs, back, tiredness were some of the others. I'm quite sure that when I cross the line those feelings will pulse through me in an uncontrollable burst of relief and elation.

Cycling 950 miles is (thankfully) not the only way to experience those feelings, but they are not easy to come by, getting married, winning the league, getting recognised for all those years of toil and effort, the birth of a baby son or daughter, landing a dream house, they're all on the list too.  I must admit, I've had more than my fair share of those feelings so I've been incredibly lucky

How would we feel if the money we raised help make a breakthrough in the fight against multiple sclerosis or cystic fibrosis?  I'm not going to shout about potential cures but there is plenty going on in both fields that gives us much hope for the future, MS with simvastatin and MS-Smart and CF Trust's Research Strategy launched a year ago.  The money we raise genuinely could make the difference.

We may be one step removed from these diseases, we will not benefit personally from supporting these charities and finding a cure, sadly it's too late to save the people close to me.  But just imagine being told that the drug you need to stop the progression of your illness, to even cure you, is now available to you.  I can't imagine that.  The strength of feeling would be so overwhelming, so incredible, and I'm glad we can play our part in that, because one day I'm certain it will happen, I hope that day comes soon.

Training Update
I realise I haven't done much in the way of training updates, so I thought I'd fill you in.  This last week I headed to the gym three times for spinning sessions, if you've not come across spinning it's a group bike exercise to music, high intensity interval training that combines resistance and aerobic training that really pushes you, ideal for LEJOG prep.

On top of three gym sessions I headed out for a few rides this weekend, a 40 mile ride around the New Forest with my LEJOG riding buddy (Brendon) and his brother (Gareth) and a 50 mile ride which took me nearly 3.5 hours!  On both rides I felt stronger and faster, fitter and better, the training is really starting to pay off, and just as well - next weekend is the first of my 100+ mile training rides - the rather ominously named Jurassic Beast!  Here's the Strave update of my 50 mile ride:

I'll be in tough again later this week to update you all on fund raising activities, it's been a bisy time and recently we've raised a great deal of money which has been superb, there's still a long way to go though!

Thanks for reading & happy cycling

Mike

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It's been a while.....

I've been away on holiday in China for the past two weeks which has given me some time to reflect on LEJOG and the charity fundraising efforts. A couple of things have rattled away in my mind as we sauntered through pagodas and mused our way through menus that meant very little in English, but most of all was the fact that I hadn't introduced you properly to one of the people whose memory spurs me on in the ride and to raise money for charity, Lisa Smith.  

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Lisa suffered from Cystic Fibrosis ("CF") and if you've not heard of CF before, it's a particularly nasty genetic condition.  One in 25 of us carry the gene and if two carriers have a child, there is a good chance their baby will inherit the CF condition; approximately one in 2,500 people end up with CF.  If you suffer from CF, your body secretes a sticky mucus, coating your lungs, intestines, pancreas and other organs besides, the sticky mucus clogs up the body and makes it more susceptible to disease and whilst treatments have improved, there is currently no cure and it tragically cuts short lives, half of people affected may make their 40th birthday, but not without spending a lot of time in hospital.

Now at this point, I'll hand over to Carla who was keen to write about Lisa (having known her long before I did), here's Carla's blog:

If you knew Lisa in any capacity, you were truly one of the 'lucky ones'!  To me, Lisa was an inspiring friend who loved food, friends and sharing good times. She lived a full and happy life thanks to her family and husband who have an equally inspiring strength of character that I admire. She achieved wonderful things, not least to mention a first class honours in her degree.

Lisa passed away in 2013 after fighting like no other against CF (Cystic Fibrosis).  Lisa was phenomenal throughout and the world is a worse place without her kind heart and inspirational strength. She was loved and loved others more than words can express.

Mike and Lisa had a particular interest that was very similar and that was food!  Every time Mike and I dined with Lisa and Craig, Mike would comment on how Lisa enjoys good food like him and wished I'd eat more steak, chocolate brownies etc that Lisa would enjoy. In later months when Lisa was in Southampton General for extended periods of time Mike and I would cook Lisa's favourite lasagne, with garlic bread, wrap it all in foil and quickly drive on over to the hospital to enjoy dinner altogether. We would all have a chuckle as I would offer salad and Lisa would literally give me a look of death and then smile as if to say, don't contaminate my dinner please!

When I first met Lisa we were at college together. Lisa and I studied Geography A-Level and whilst we would sit together, Lisa always listened more intently and I would be preoccupied with entertaining the class! It was always worth it as Lisa had the most infectious laugh that filled the room and a chuckle that made my messing around worthwhile.

The first time I had any understanding of the illness that Lisa lived with every day was when she told me she wouldn't be in college the following week as she was off to hospital for her course of antibiotics. Lisa wasn't cagey, but gave little information and left me feeling that I shouldn't ask too many questions. My only instruction was that if I wanted to visit her that week was to bring her some of the rice crispy cake from the college canteen that she was so fond of! Of course I obliged, spent a few hours with Lisa that week and after we went back to normal.

Several years passed before I had any real understanding of CF and how ill it could potentially make Lisa in years to come. Looking back on this now, I wish I had read more and understood CF in greater detail, but I always felt that CF did not define Lisa. It was something that she managed well and therefore kept private so that her life remained full and full.  She never moaned, she never grumbled, she kept it away from everyday life as much as she possibly could.

Lisa never drank alcohol when we partied in our late teens and early twenties. Instead she would always offer to be the dedicated driver and I have lost count of the number of times she enjoyed a great night out with us.  Lisa would always be happy to drive in exchange for a 'cheese toastie' on the return home at the end of the night!  Normally my drop off was first and so I have to thank my parents for the number of cheese toasties that were consumed over the years as they were for everyone and I think this was Lisa's favourite part of the night as we would all chatter and reflect on the events.  Of course Lisa's was always the most accurate account of what actually happened!

I don't want to dwell on the last year of Lisa's life. They were hard and those closest to her, particularly Lisa's husband, parents and sister amazed Mike and I with their unwavering strength and love.  Even throughout that, Lisa faced up to CF with incredible bravery, she didn’t show any fear, never uttered an ill word, despite a long wait for a lung transplant and long spells in hospital.

If through Mike's bike ride the profile of CF can be raised and further research can move towards a cure, or even improvements then every minute of Mike's challenge and preparation will have been worthwhile. Lisa would think we're bonkers, but she would laugh when we told her and to hear that laugh again would just be amazing.

Please show your support no matter how big or small. Every penny supports people like Lisa. We are all eternally grateful of how well Lisa was looked after and hope that our fundraising efforts enable others to receive the same.

So please dig deep and donate now.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

That's the spirit Winston!

There are an awful lot of historical people I would love to spend time with if I had the chance, but number one on my list has to be Winston Churchill. I wouldn't be the only one, countless times he has been voted Best British Person in History and other such awards. But what is it about him in particular that he holds not just a special place with me, but with Britain generally?

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

For me, Winston Churchill is a multi-faceted hero, not just the British Bulldog characterised so often. He was a genuine human being, not the media relations sanitised public images we all to often have today. He battled depression (he referred to onsets of depression as 'black dog') and money worries (he was perilously close to bankruptcy on many occasion, despite his privileged background).

Winston could see "The Gathering Storm" of the Second World War when others could not (it's well worth watching the BBC film starring Albert Finney, a film I highly recommend), and despite being outspoken and politically marginalised, he KBO (or "kept buggering on") trying, inititally in vain, to bring the threat to the attention of parliament.

KBO is a mantra I have been using for the LEJOG (Land's End to John O'Groats), there are plenty of times when I've felt up against it, but repeating that mantra evokes thoughts of great speeches ("....we will never give in...") and who human endeavour, courage and spirit to overcome the odds.  And it's paying dividends too.  

Recently I took up spinning at a local gym alongside my cycling training and the hard work is paying off, training rides that once were incredibly tough are now getting easier, in fact my average speed on my "short" ride of 36 miles has improved by nearly 20%, a staggering amount that would no doubt have be randomly drug tested immediately if I were an elite athlete (sadly I'm not).  The LEJOG ride is still a daunting prospect, consecutive days of cycling 100 miles per day is no small matter and I don't yet know how my body will cope with over 7 hours per day in the saddle.

It's hard work, I spin 4 times a week, cycle up to twice a week and then spend a lot of time trying to drive up sponsorship and organising all sort of activities related to the ride.  It means that most of the time I'm tired through exercise or missing out on sleep getting things finished off - so KBO is a regular feature on and off the bike!

The fundraising side has perhaps gone less well so far, at least against the overall target of £25k and is something that has preoccupied me of late.  Despite taking on the challenge itself and both Brendon and I committing to put ourselves through the pain of having various parts of our body waxed if we hit above £2k, we have raised just over £1k.

But there is no place for doom and gloom - KBO.  If it takes time to get to £25k, it takes time, but we will get there.  A small band is mobilising to organise events, and whilst it started out as a cycle ride, there are a whole host of events being organised to help us get to the overall target.

A cheese and wine evening, a murder mystery night featuring the prestigious Chameloen Theatre Group (http://www.chameleontheatre.co.uk/), a cake bake, a quiz night, there are all sorts of things going on that will all play an important part.  If you're reading this and feel like you would like to contribute to the efforts, then I encourage you to contact Brendon or I, we would appreciate your support and it would be great to have you play a part in what will (eventually) be a huge success.

Here's the link if you fancy donating

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/CycleOfOurLives

Many thanks for reading and happy cycling

Mike