July 31- Eve of the Corner to Corner bike ride
Hello
Tomorrow morning at 7 am my British cousin Ralph and I will hop on our heavily loaded mountain bikes and ride to Haven House in London UK. It is the start of our 2,800 mile adventure around the Isle of Great Britain in aid of Haven House Children’s Hospice.
The “About” section of our website explains how I got to this starting point. There has been an awful lot of preparation work done by Ralph over the last six months. The result is that anyone can use the routes he has plotted, read the extensive annotated bibliography he created and as the days progress, cyclists will literally be able to see the road surfaces and conditions his routes offered us through the lens of his camera.
This weekend has been a busy one. I left Ottawa, Canada at 7 am Friday and arrived at Heathrow “early” at 20:25. No flight problems. No transfer problems and my carry-on dutifully kept by my side so no luggage problems.
The photo at Ottawa’s airport is of my favorite training ride to Champlain Lookout overlooking the Ottawa River. Too bad I didn’t actually get much training in .
Ralph greeted me at arrivals, we drove the hour back to his home …. And I fell asleep for 9 hours. Sleep deprivation before a flight seems to be my norm. Note to self - don’t ever change the sim card in your iPhone on the plane when you are actually not wide enough awake to be functioning. It will end badly and cost £30 to have a teenager in a repair shop fix it for you.
On to Saturday and Sunday. Yes… I got the cell phone fixed; and a fine wire taken out of the rim of my front mountain bike wheel. A very timely flat! Much better on Saturday then tomorrow! My favorite Jag mechanic and super supporter of Ralph and this ride - Johnny Jag - dropped in to pass on his personal best wishes. I was in England in May hiking and met Johnny and Ralphs “Cycle Bandit” friends at a bike repair workshop organized by Ralph in preparation for this ride. This outpouring of support has continued all weekend.
Note: Ralph and I are sporting our Haven House cycling jerseys which very fortuitously arrived on Wednesday!
I loaded my Ortlieb panniers (one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever received) onto my bike and Ralph and I did a test ride on the quiet roads north of London. Success. On to visit another pair of fabulous supporters David and Sally-Anne who fed us a very nice meal and sent us on our way with a reminder that Dave’s donation was per mile with increased per mile rate the farther Ralph rides!
Saturday was fun and very productive.Today had a different importance and meaning as I joined Ralph on a cycle to the church he attends. Susan is a friend, member of the 40+ cycling group and she and her husband Martin are members of the same faith congregation as Ralph - All Saints’ Woodford Wells. Susan arranged a blessing for Ralph’s ride at the 11:15 family service.
“…We ask that You bring power to their legs and protection over their minds and bodies over all the miles they cycle together. We pray for determination, courage, confidence and Your peace in their hearts and minds”.
This theme of encouragement and support has continued into the evening as family and friends have called and wished us well. Thank you to all.Safe cycling.
Lorraine