Charity Bike Ride

Somehow I got myself involved in going on this charity bike ride to raise money for the Disabled Cycling Club. Well I didn't need much persuading to be honest. It was 4 days of around 40 miles per day and we were taking two young lads with us who attend the cycling club.

Neil is 13 and is deaf. David is 17 and is autistic. Both of them have loads of courage and did really well on the ride.

Our first day was from Shipley Town Hall to York. Just after we started we had to go up a very long hill that is steep in parts. Oh god I was dreading it. I made it up with just one stop (ok I did put my foot down for a second time but don't tell anybody).

That night we stayed in the poshest hostel I have ever seen. We put our bikes in the cellar which had originally been the servants room. Each room had a placard outside saying what it had been used for. The room we girls were sleeping in said that the master had sat in this room with his dog when it took it's last breath so we simply called it the Dead Dog Room! An evening out at an Italian Restaurant rounded off the day nicely.

The second day we headed for Hull. I struggled a bit in the afternoon but both of the boys did well. That night we stayed in a Premier Inn just up from the Humber Bridge so once we had told them we had arrived we went and cycled across the bridge and back again. We eat in the hotel that night as they had a good deal on.

Saturday morning we set off on a return journey to York. Neil struggled from the start of the day and got in the van until after lunch. It's difficult to remember that he is only 13 and he had done exceptionally well up to then. This was my best day though. I powered on really well all day and felt brilliant when we arrived in York. Richard our support rider, had an accident along the way. and literally ended up wrapped around a tree. Thankfully he wasn't as badly hurt as he could have been.

This time we stopped in the YHA. Nice place but not as posh as the other hostel. We went out looking for somewhere to eat and ended up at a Pizza Hut.

After a good night's sleep, followed by a good breakfast we were off on the last leg back to Shipley. Boy was it hot. I drank 3.5 litres of fluid on the way back. Neil struggled a bit and had a short trip on the van and I refused to take the route that they decided to go on as I knew that Weeton hill would ruin my legs for the climb out of Otley. Mike, our leader, and I took the longer but flatter route to an agreed rendezvous point and beat the others by half an hour.

On the climb out of Otley we had to keep Neil turning those wheels so I kept telling him not to let the fat lass pass him! He managed it. Then after a bit more climbing we went down the hill I had dreaded on day 1.......wheeeeeeeeeeee!