More Thank Yous......

Hi all,

Well there is one day left until we leave for Paris!!!!!! Today we're driving from Leicester to London and spending the night there so that we can be up first thing to start our journey. When I opened the blinds this morning I was greeted by this wonderful sight...

Not the most promising sign. Apparently this is meant to continue until about 11 am Sunday morning.....should be interesting.

I also just wanted to thank a few more people who have come up really big for us over the last week:

Colorworks Barrie has given us a donation of $300.00 towards our hotel costs on top of giving money towards the charity as well. Thank you so much guys!!!!!!

Filter Services has given us £100.00 towards paying for our ferry crossing, David Bowen from Autosmart has provided us with oils and lubricants for our bikes as well as the van.

We have also recieved another £100.00 towards our hotels from One Stop News in Beeston and a couple of free bike tune ups from Halfords.

And finally thanks to Decathlon Sports who have given us half price on all our isotonic and recovery drink powders.

Thank to all these people for helping us limit our expenses and supporting our cause. We couldn't have done it without you.

There is still time to sponsor us at:
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/fundraising/events/runners/Ben_and_Richard.php

Let's hope for better weather tomorrow....

Ben

One week to go....

Hello everyone,

Sorry to have disappeared for the last week or so. Our internet has been down and when the helpful technician turned up, he explained that it was a city wide problem that he couldn't actually fix. Anyway we're back online now and there's only four days left until we leave for the ride.

Thank you again to everyone who has donated. I have been trying to send notes and messages to everyone but it has been tough to keep up with all the support. The online sponsors this week have sky rocketed despite the World Cancer Research Fund having problems with their site aswell. It has been amazing to see so many people offering to help or sending us messages and encouragement. I also can't get over how many people I have in my life who have battled cancer in some way and I never knew about it.

I will be doing my best to update the blog during our trip, so please keep checking to see our progress and read about how we're doing.

There is still time to donate....check out our site at:

http://www.wcrf-uk.org/fundraising/events/runners/Ben_and_Richard.php

Thanks again for all the support
Ben

Leicester to Oakham

Hi all,

Well two weeks to go now. Time is ticking by. This weekend I headed out from Leicester to Rutland Water near Oakham. I did bring my camera but didn't take many pictures as it was an absolutely miserable day. It was cold, rainy and snowy so I didn't feel like stopping for snapshots.

 

Round trip was about 63 miles although I got a flat about 7 miles from home and Kaity had to come and pick me up. I also learnt some valuable lessons about being prepared for all situations. When I left it was lightly raining so I wore my light rain jacket, but by the time I was half way into the ride it started to snow. I also didn't pack a lot of food with me because I figured I would stop at Oakham and grab a coffee and a snack. Well I didn't bring my lock and there wasn't any place to leave my bike so I ended up pedaling back home feeling very cold, tired and hungry. Definitely not my most enjoyable trip, but I am happy that I did well over 50 miles without any real problems. Next weekend I'm thinking about doing a trip from Leicester to Stratford Upon Avon....we'll see what the weather is like.

Don't forget to sponsor Richard and I at:

http://www.wcrf-uk.org/fundraising/events/runners/Ben_and_Richard.php

 

 

 

Leicester to Market Bosworth

Hi everyone,

Well as promised I've got a few more pics of the journey from Leicester to Market Bosworth. Weather conditions were much nicer, in fact it was the perfect day for riding. The pictures have turned out much better as the last ones were just blurry white flurries. No snow this week and I brought my buddy Eamon along for the ride this time to keep me company. On Sunday I did my usual circuit but went a bit further out towards Burton On The Wolds and took a pic of Prestwold Hall.

Thanks again for everyone's support. I would also like to thank Colorworks, Barrie, for sponsoring me as well as spreading the word by posting a message about my ride on their blog. Check out Colorworks' Facebook page and if you 'Like' it you could win a free Ipad.

Want to help me stand up to cancer? Sponsor me at:
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/fundraising/events/runners/Ben_and_Richard.php

Thornton Resevoir

Riding Into Thorton Across The Resevoir



Bagworth



 

 

MASSIVE NEWS AND BIG SUPPORT FROM CR CIVIL ENGINEERING

Hi all,

The last couple weeks have been flying by. We're down to four weeks now before the day of the ride and I am thrilled with the amount of support we've had already. After only a week of publically raising money, we are closing in on our first thousand pounds. Thank you to everyone who has supported us or shared our story and message with their friends and family.

And speaking of big support, last week Gilly spoke to his boss at CR Civil Engineering about sponsoring us and got an amazing reply. CR Civil Engineering have agreed to give us a support vehicle and pay for all fuel costs. This amazing gesture comes as a huge relief to Richard and I who have been trying to organize the logistics of the trip. As I am sure you can imagine there are a lot of expenses involved in organizing a ride like this, and we cannot even begin to express how grateful we are for this generous offer.

http://www.crcivilengineering.co.uk/

I was back in Canada last week and didn't get very far with my training, but this weekend I cycled out to Market Bosworth and back. This is a lovely 30 mile ride through tiny villages and country roads. I have taken some pictures, but it was a snowy cold and grey day so they don't look great. I'm planning on doing the same ride next weekend so maybe I'll post pics after that.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to sponsor us at:
Ben and Richard Cycle London 2 Paris

Leicester to Nottingham

Hi everyone,

Well this weekend I decided to branch out a bit and try going for a longer distance. Since my training started, cycling from Leicester to where we used to live in Nottingham has been one of my big goals. The total trip was 76.2 km/47 miles and it took me about 3 hours. My route took me along the A6 through Rothely, Mount Sorrel, Quorn and Loughborough. At Kegworth I turned on to Long Lane which brought me back through Sawley, Long Eaton, Chillwell and fianlly into Beeston where Gilly was waiting for me with a large glass of water and a biscuit (sorry Lisa). I am surprised at how good I felt after this ride. I had a little bit of cramping but my legs were still ready to go. Maybe I'll see how good I feel tomorrow...

Please help me out by making a donation:
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/fundraising/events/runners/Ben_and_Richard.php

 

 

Circuit Number #1

Hi guys,

Well I've got about 2 months until I leave on the trip, so it's about time I got my act together. I had been training regularly leading up to Christmas, and since then I've gotten a bit lazy. Today I rode from Leicester through Groby to Markfield and then down to Newton Lindford. From there I cycled to Swithland past the resevoir to Rothely and then through Cropston and Thurcaston back home. The whole trip is about 22 miles/35km and I can usually finish it in just over an hour and a half.....not bad going. This is the circuit that I usually do. It's a nice loop and it doesn't take very long so I try to do this as often as possible and do longer rides on the weekend. Here's a few snapshots....enjoy!

Ben

Check out my page to make a donation:
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/fundraising/events/runners/Ben_and_Richard.php




Bradgate Park

Swithland

Rothley

  

 The Great Central Rail Way Steam Train