Reflections of a reluctant cyclist!
To truly understand team you need to give yourself to it completely without question. You need to trust those around you and in turn be trusted. In that way you become part of a single entity.
Did we achieve this? well I guess so, we achieved our goal! But actually more than that we threw ourselves into the challenge we followed each other (sometimes blindly) supported each other and when things got tough we were there for each other. We mocked each other, sometimes gently and sometimes with vigour! Knowing which to do when is really important!!
Throughout Mile kept us amused either with his agricultural anecdotes or when we mocked him with fake sightseeing experiences.
You couldn't wish for a better roommate always making tea and running baths just when they were needed most!
Mike you are a star and a hero! no one would have thought any less of you if you had succumbed to your knees on
Day 3, but giving up was never in your mind! respect!
There is so much I want to say but I won't yet! I'll save it for later. We all owe you so much and I know for one that if it had not been for you I probably wouldn't have made it to the end. I know that whenever I hear Preston being mentioned I will think of you and smile! Thank you
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, maybe if your heart isn't otherwise occupied forcing your body to do daft things! Seeing the WAGs on the first Sunday we were away was great (making sure they didn't meet was difficult!!). Joking aside, for me the low point on day 3 soon turned to a high point when we met the families at Ludlow. Spending the evening eating and talking was a much needed distraction.
The messages of support and encouragement from friends and family cannot be underestimated we have been truly humbled!
Without going into detail, Nia forwarded an email from a family who had lost their young daughter to cancer and had been fund raising ever since! This included LEJOG last year. They thanked us and reminded us that all our pain and suffering may make it possible for children to avoid suffering in the future.
As you can imagine there wasn't a dry eye in the room!
I guess the final mention must be to my friend and neighbour Jeff who's messages of support have been constant throughout the challenge. Once we had finished he sent this text:
"Absolutely fantastic,well done all of you. Today would of been my nephews birthday, he died when he was 5 so i know what a charity like sparks does and with the massive effort that you have all done will hopefully prevent the heartache that i went through. Again well done,enjoy a few beers tonight !!!"
We sat in silence for those few miles out of John O Groats, crying quietly and reflecting on what we had achieved and feeling immensely proud!
To the team; thank you all for sharing an idea and helping me make it a dream and then a reality! I couldn't think of any other people I would rather have shared these moments with. We are now all bound by these memories and they will stay with us forever! I will always remember!
What have you done today..................
To truly understand team you need to give yourself to it completely without question. You need to trust those around you and in turn be trusted. In that way you become part of a single entity.
Did we achieve this? well I guess so, we achieved our goal! But actually more than that we threw ourselves into the challenge we followed each other (sometimes blindly) supported each other and when things got tough we were there for each other. We mocked each other, sometimes gently and sometimes with vigour! Knowing which to do when is really important!!
The team
Mike, Barry and Bob (John)
We would not have completed this task without them, Fact! Having a van and a friendly face every 10 or so miles was fantastic. Knowing that food drink and a gentle ribbing was around the next corner gave us the mental strength to carry on! We all know that the best plans are only as good as the people delivering them and boy did they deliver. From all of us a huge Thank you.Lee (hills)
Our Mr consistent always there seldom in the front seldom at the back. In fact Some of the hilly days I saw little of him as he is like lightning up hill and I down hill! Lee kept things on an even keel as we new he would. Always a willing ear he made himself available for those conversations necessary in distracting oneself from the task in hand. Thank you LeeMike (the mechanic)
What an emotional roller coaster. I have grown to respect Mike as a cyclist over the last few months and he duly smashed days 1&2 I think watching him struggle so badly on day 3 effected us all tremendously.Throughout Mile kept us amused either with his agricultural anecdotes or when we mocked him with fake sightseeing experiences.
You couldn't wish for a better roommate always making tea and running baths just when they were needed most!
Mike you are a star and a hero! no one would have thought any less of you if you had succumbed to your knees on
Day 3, but giving up was never in your mind! respect!
Barry (Blog, IT & navigation)
Where do you start. I think it was Shrek or it could have been donkey who used the layers of an onion to describe personality. Well Barry you've shed some layers over the last 10 days and with each layer your warmth kindness and generosity has shone through.There is so much I want to say but I won't yet! I'll save it for later. We all owe you so much and I know for one that if it had not been for you I probably wouldn't have made it to the end. I know that whenever I hear Preston being mentioned I will think of you and smile! Thank you
Families & Friends
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, maybe if your heart isn't otherwise occupied forcing your body to do daft things! Seeing the WAGs on the first Sunday we were away was great (making sure they didn't meet was difficult!!). Joking aside, for me the low point on day 3 soon turned to a high point when we met the families at Ludlow. Spending the evening eating and talking was a much needed distraction.
The messages of support and encouragement from friends and family cannot be underestimated we have been truly humbled!
Motivation
Having a goal that you all believe in really helps although when your pushing yourselves to the edge of your physical capabilities it sometimes gets lost in the grunting! Nia somehow judged this and a motivational email arrived on day 3 after the families had gone home!Without going into detail, Nia forwarded an email from a family who had lost their young daughter to cancer and had been fund raising ever since! This included LEJOG last year. They thanked us and reminded us that all our pain and suffering may make it possible for children to avoid suffering in the future.
As you can imagine there wasn't a dry eye in the room!
I guess the final mention must be to my friend and neighbour Jeff who's messages of support have been constant throughout the challenge. Once we had finished he sent this text:
"Absolutely fantastic,well done all of you. Today would of been my nephews birthday, he died when he was 5 so i know what a charity like sparks does and with the massive effort that you have all done will hopefully prevent the heartache that i went through. Again well done,enjoy a few beers tonight !!!"
We sat in silence for those few miles out of John O Groats, crying quietly and reflecting on what we had achieved and feeling immensely proud!
To the team; thank you all for sharing an idea and helping me make it a dream and then a reality! I couldn't think of any other people I would rather have shared these moments with. We are now all bound by these memories and they will stay with us forever! I will always remember!
What have you done today..................
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