So after 3 days of full on hand biking I find myself back at Richmond Canoe Club to meet the incoming paddlers and their/our friends and families.

We had a picnic on the grass and did a bit of self congratulation.

To say that all of us were tested out of our comfort zones would be fair, but we all learnt a bit about our own characters this weekend. Me? That actually the old me is alive and well, I still won’t be beaten by this calamitous accident , that I still love being part of the same circles of friends, seeing different sides to my mates, seeing that they are overall probably more impressed by my new efforts than they were by my old ones, my challenges now being far greater.

I liked them all before, but I love them all now.

I can’t single out people for extra praise, so I won’t try, but I’m so proud to know them all, their wives, and their kids, who without exception are just incredible.

How on earth did I ever end up knowing so many exceptional people?

In the week that Terry Rodham finished his Ironman Challenge in Wales, doing bloody well, in really testing conditions ( rough sea and big hills ), doing an especially fast bike section (112 miles) .. and raising lots of money.. We have just finished Day 1 of our canoe/ bike journey.

The boys have done a good 40 miles in kayaks and me, Pete, Robbie and Dan at least the same on bikes ( me lying down obv.)

They  all did a really brilliant job, all helping eachother, and me. When I broke my gear cable, I was taken to the nearest bike shop, the bike fixed, then conveyed 10 miles further on to join the lads, canal side.

It rained most of the day, sadly, but didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits – you get wet in a kayak anyway, and as a cyclist in Britain, it’s pretty normal.

Thanks to Sean for fixing my bike. Anyone down this way could do a lot worse than visiting his shop!

I’m assuming it won’t be an early night, and that the usual amount of alcohol will go down, enough to make tomorrow’s 50 miles a fair bit harder..

3 miles in and I totally mangled the gear cable of my lie down bike.

Whilst the canoeists are paddling, I’m with Kev and Marta in the bike shop in Marlborough undergoing major repairs.

So….. Once fixed I’ll be back on it.

At least it’s the bloody bike and not me this time.

The lads are paddling strongly – proud of them.

Felt very strange being here in Devizes again, but not doing a canoe race.

But you know, it’s still pretty cool being here at all. 

So… Today at 10am I head to Imperial College in London to meet a bunch of engineering students whose objective/challenge is to design me a canoe seat that I won’t fall out of.

Good luck with that!

Massive thanks to Tim Killip and Richard Hendron for organising that, and to Rich in general for organising and coaching a rabble of cyclists into a half decent bunch of canoeists capable of paddling 125 miles in 3 days this weekend.

We all head to Devizes at 2 pm, me driving with 2 very long boats on my roof.

Jerry Day will be with me, in case I continue my run of mishaps… Yesterday I repaid my ongoing gratitude to Dan by crashing through the barrier into his west London premises of the Park Club…. apparently I’m not the first by any stretch.. but the first to actually  own up, and poss the first MALE.. He says.

Yesterday I spent  ages at Great Ormond St hospital discussing my spasms and their resolution. Getting into my standing frame would seem to be the best ongoing remedy, as well as staying fit and not being constipated….there you go then.

I’ve recently spent a fair bit of time at work coaching my optometry graduates to do what they do with the public – good to be back in a work environment actually being an expert at something.

My main objective over the next 3 days is not to get killed or injured on my arm bike on the country roads of Britain. That would screw up my trip to the States in search of therapy for my paralysis  somewhat.

Wish me luck with that. Some have said that I should def not risk it, but I don’t feel I can let down my buddies – that’s the old me kicking in strongly.

Ill update this site with progress..

So now I’ve tried shooting.

Shooting clay pigeons.

On the way up Marky P and I discussed my tendency to almost die when pursuing sports.

Perhaps s shooting was tempting fate?

In the event it was really good – Apparantly  I wasn’t a bad shot. It was hard not toppling over whilst I took aim, but  by holding my breath and tensing very hard I could just about maintain aim for long enough to get about a 70% hit rate.

Il def go again, sometime soon.

Thanks Mark, for taking me, and being so bloody encouraging.

Thank also to Chrissy, for a bloody lovely lunch the other day  Properly spoilt. 🙂

https://mydonate.bt.com/teams/teamwdf

Sooo… My amazing cycling buddies have finally seen the light and gotten into kayaks.
They’ll canoe 125 miles this weekend , as a tribute and fundraiser to myself.

They’ve trained all summer to do this, despite all having full time jobs and families.

The link above tells the story from their perspective.

I’ll be there ( sort of ) with them, not in a boat, but on a handbike – 140 odd miles for me in 3 days – that’ll bloody kill me, no doubt.

And it’s gonna rain.

Obviously.

No pain, no gain… Right?

Thanks lads, I’m very proud of you all.

See above for pics of the lads ( and me ) from our previous trips..

PS gutted for Roy, who trained all summer then broke his foot playing soccer with a hangover on a dodgy pitch.
There’s a lesson for Dads over 40…

Today my right leg wouldn’t stop spasming.

After about 2 hours I realised that my second toe was bent double inside my shoe.

Lesson learnt.

Toe looks pretty bent now.

He’s finished the swim in 1hr31mins, and is on the bike!