Ride London - 2nd August 2015
As many of you know, last year I completed the Prudential Ride London event in the horrendous rain. Well, for all of my sins, I decided to do it again this year on the 2nd August.
I wanted to do this event again to raise money for Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. This hospital is leading the way in research and development in the treatment of many eye conditions including Congenital Glaucoma. For the last twelve years we have had to routinely visit this hospital and this has made us realise that they are a real asset to our NHS that needs support.
The event started in the Olympic Park at 6 am, with 26000 riders leaving at 5 minute intervals in waves of around 2000 people. I was in the first group to set off on the 100 mile ride. We had to be at the start for 0515, so it was an early start getting up at around 4 o'clock.
The whole route was on closed public roads, so the pace was fast and fun, which meant I didn't have to worry about stopping at red traffic lights and junctions. During the event we climbed 3800 feet, which is not that bad for a ride of that distance. If you are a cyclist yourself you will understand that exercising in Devon and Cornwall is a totally different experience. The route itself took us through the centre of London, past all of the famous land marks like the Tower Of London, before heading out through Richmond Park, Dorking and onto the two significant climbs at Leith Hill and Box Hill in Surrey. We then turned for home at which point my knees started to suffer. I kept myself dosed up with pain killers to help the situation and no, I didn't take any performance enhancing drugs! We came back through Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames and Kingston. The support along the way was incredible with people really giving us the boost to push on for the finish line. Finally, after 5 hours 30 minutes, I entered the centre of London cycling along the Thames, though Whitehall, past Big Ben and up the Mall finishing outside Buckingham Palace in 5 hours 40 minutes. I then caught up with mates from work as, although we all did the event together, it is very difficult to stay together for this distance as you find you all ride at a different pace.
Due to the generosity of people in the village, other friends and my employer, I have managed to raise £540 for the charity. If there is anyone who still would like to donate to the charity, this can be done through the website 'My Donate'. Please find the link below and then go to ''sponsor a fundraiser'.
http://www.btplc.com/mydonate/
Many thanks again.