Bad week, hard tarmac

Training for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 took a bit of a knock this week. On Saturday (4^th) I had a minor crash which has caused a bit of damage to me and the bike. Then on Tuesday I was literally about to go out the door and picked up my phone to find a message that said a close friend had taken his own life.

Pam and I spent the rest of the evening in a state of shock. Training was off, Wednesday wasn’t much better and after a day at work we just went out for tea as we weren’t even motivated to cook. I finally got out on Thursday and had only gone two miles when the gear shifter came lose and I couldn’t brake or change gear. So Friday the bike went into dock. A big thank you to Shrewsbury Cyclelife ( http://www.shrewsburycycles.co.uk ) for turning the bike around so quickly.

Friday night saw us meeting an old friend for mutual support, sharing of memories of a lost friend and lots of alcohol to try and reason out what happened. Hence Saturday’s training ride with a hangover and on the old heavy bike was hard work. Average speed of 10mph was a disgrace, but at least I was out there.

On a plus – sponsorship money is now starting to appear and I hope we can make a difference to the dogs and cats at Grinshill. Apologies for all those Facebook messages and emails, but we do need to raise enough to make the Just Giving fees worthwhile.