Since we last posted our training and fund raising has
continued at pace with each team member securing donations and sponsorship
whilst promoting Prostate Cancer UK, none
more so than our team captain John Malcolm. John has attended and spoken at nine Burns
Suppers this year, eight of which resulted in donations, some considerable.
John said: “Not only is it great that we are getting donations and
sponsorship towards this great charity the fact that Prostate Cancer awareness
has been raised and highlighted at Burns Suppers means a lot, especially given
the age of those in attendance, these guys need to know that help and support
is out there should they ever need it.”
Two standout contributions came from, Ayr Roundtable who donated a
whooping £1000.00 and Bishopton Loyal Rangers Supporters Club who kindly
collected £365.00 at their Burns Supper.
We would like to thank all of those who have taken time to read this blog
and of course everyone who has made donations towards the cause. I have been really surprised by the amount of
people who have been affected by Prostate Cancer.
For example, John Carruthers a Scots lad who’s a director at Skyelume.
John said “We have been following your
Get to France Blog and we’re very impressed.
I have spoken to my fellow Directors here and on behalf of all at Skyelume
we would like to offer you £500 sponsorship. Fighting prostate cancer is a
cause close to our hearts.”
Skyelume are a quality and luxury lighting specialist based in
Dubai, UAE and we are very pleased to have them as a corporate sponsor. Thanks guys!
As a team
we all felt that it was necessary to concentrate on our fund raising efforts at
this time of year, so that we may be able to spend more time on our bikes as
the London to Paris event approaches. That said we’ve not been sitting on our
laurels and the base fitness training has continued.
John
headed off to Lanzarote on holiday, although he told us it was a winter
training camp, however when questioned by his team mates John protested “Contrary
to popular belief I did not have gin in my water bottle” and “I did more than work on my tan, I hired a
bike and spun my legs along the coast”.
The rest
of us have continued with regular attendance at spin classes, with most of us
taking part in 2 or 3 classes a week. A particular highlight is the class on a
Thursday night at Ralston, where our instructor Ricky puts us through our paces
and then some. Everyone taking part leaves
looking jelly legged and exhausted, whilst grinning at surviving.
The jury
was out on Johns “Training Camp” until our team training ride on Sunday the 3rd
of March, when James, John, Robert and myself met early at the Red Smiddy
roundabout, Inchinnan and set off along the Georgetown Road towards Houston. We got into a mini chain gang and got our
legs spinning briskly on this grey cold morning. The road surfaces were really
greasy and damp with the usual assortment of winter grime, salt and diesel oil,
so we had to have our wits about us concentrating on our line, road position
and of course the traffic.
Our route then ascended the Torr Road and onto the Kilmacolm to Lochwinnoch Road, where James was setting the pace and climbing well, Robert was showing he was no slouch and put in a more than convincing interval all the way to the top, he was evidently enjoying being out on his new road bike.
On this steep climb John showed his true colours, he climbed with a conviction and confidence that only someone who has put in the effort and miles over the winter can, his pace would have shamed guys half his age, not even taking into account that this guy is continuing the fight against cancer. John was showing why he’s provided his team mates with inspiration to get to France. Top effort!!
Once at the top we continued over the rolling terrain passing another couple of cyclists who were out spinning their legs, we were all going well when typically John got a rear wheel puncture due to the shocking state of the road surface which slowed our excellent progress. We hoped this would provide a wee bit of recovery prior to our next section of intervals, but the weather had other ideas and as the rain tipped down in stair rods which was painful on exposed skin (read bald heads under vented helmets) as we descended into Lochwinnoch.
From Lochwinnoch we turned north on cycle route 7 and worked as a team getting up to a decent threshold speed. This cycle track is relatively flat and is of course traffic free apart from other cyclists and those walking, it’s surface is tarmac and in much better condition than the roads, which allowed us to concentrate on our cycling form and pace and gave us a good measure of our current levels of fitness.
Ewan was suffering due to his consumption of a libation or two the previous evening, however there was no letting up and we continued at pace, retracing our route to Bridge of Weir, then Houston before heading along the Barrochan Road to Bishopton and home.
Everyone was pleased with the day’s efforts. John said: “Today's run proves that our fitness levels are good for this time of year. Riding at an average of 21mph from Kilmacolm to Bridge of Weir is great stuff”.
On Friday the 8th of March we held a charity
night at Siempre Bicycle Cafe, Dumbarton Road, in Partick. The owners Kirsteen and Cal couldn’t have
done more for us. They were fabulous hosts. We about 60 people turn up on the
night and support “Get To France” for Prostate Cancer UK. We hope you all
enjoyed your buffet and beer!
My highlight of the evening was cheering everyone on as
they had a blast on our static spin bike, sprinting for 30 seconds to see who
could go the furthest. A very well done
to Lauren and Bob who won the competition, both with some ease!! (More training
needed by the team eh lads...)
We have to give a special thanks to Garry Hay of
Kilmarnock Football Club who donated one of his away shirts which he had signed
by the current first team squad, as well as Sir Chris Hoy who donated a signed
Olympic team t-shirt. Both were auctioned
raising much needed funds. Thanks guys, you’re both true professional sportsmen
supporting our amateur endeavour.
The evening boosted our fund raising coffers by £1,200,
wow, we were all really overwhelmed by all the support we’ve received.
Any cyclists who are in the area please drop into the
cafe which is next to Kelvinhall underground station. You bring your bike
inside and rack it near to your table, where you’ll find a selection of cake,
coffee and healthy food stuffs as you relax with the chilled vibe. The
cafe extends into the shop offering repairs and quality cycling products for
sale, it’s well worth a visit.
Thanks for your continued support and if you can please
donated on our just giving page:
Next up on our Blog Ewan’s view... stay tuned.
