Those ‘Other’ rides

I have had a couple people contact me and express their surprise about the other rides which are doing what we have been doing for the last 8 years- that is, organising a ride across Devon with Coast-Coast in the title!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I wish all charity events the best of luck- it’s a hard world out there, and if they can vary what I have created, and raise some funds for various charities, then great.

I know what we have planned for this year, and next year, will grow our reputation- that of being a great social ride which raises funds for a specific charity each year.

The numbers this year are growing again, and as I have said many times, one of the great things for me is that people do come back each year. This says to me that the ride is doing the right things!

I know that we have never claimed to be a race- we offer a no pressure environment to ride, enjoy the countryside, and makes friends. That’s what we do.

So I look forward to seeing you all- again!- on the 8th, at the original- and I believe the best- Devon Coast-Coast Challenge.

The Next 2 stops

I really do think that the stops this year will help define the ride. We are lucky enough to have some great locations for the riders to stop and refil; the first is at Libbaton Golf Club, Libbaton.

Libbaton Golf Club is right up on top of High Bickington, with some amazing views. Here coffe and tea is provided and it is a great chance to refill your bottles.

We will be stopping here from 10.45- 11.15. If you get there earlier, that’s fine- you will have a longer break. The timings on the 2 routes will enable you have approx a half hour stop if you stick to the average speeds.

After being refreshed, we set off again on the next part of the route, on the the dinner stop at North Tawton Rugby Club. This can be found just down the road from the Cremery, and is in the town where the Jennifer Saunders sitcom ‘Jam and Jerselem’ is filmed.

The town itself is a lovely little place, but the rugby club will enable the riders and their friends/ family can sit, rest and enjoy the sunshine. Found at the suitably named Taw Meadows, the grounds will give the riders a well deserved break.Lunch for the riders consists of soup and hotdogs.

Once again, the dinner is being served at 12.45, and we will be setting off at 1.30. Get there quicker? You get a longer break! Slower? A shorter one (I think you get the idea!).

Check back for details of the afternoon stop, and then, onto Teignmouth!

Ugh! Just when I was about to make a start with training, along comes….man flu. I think I have caught it off Mark- he had a real stinker a couple weeks ago, and now I have it. Sore throat, no voice, coughing… real manly stuff.

Still, I am not going to moan.

Lighter evenings

And this means, you can get out on your bike a bit! Got in 15 miles tonight, which is pleasing- average 15mph as well, which is great- seeing I have not rode my road bike for about 5 weeks.

I know that I have said it before, but I am very excited about this years ride. There are lots of aspects to the ride- the start, the stops, and the finish; I will be covering each of these in separate blog entries over the coming weeks.

So let’s start with, funnily enough, the start. This year we move from the cold and the loneliness of Ilfracombe harbor to the cultural center of the town, The Landmark Theatre. Controversial in it’s design, it is now a distinct iconic image of the seaside town.

What it will do is provide somewhere warm and dry to change and ‘freshen up’. I know that this will soon become part of the rides history, and something which it is known for. We could not wish for a better location to start from. Why not check out their website?

Look out next time on this blog for more details of the 3 stops for the ride.

It’s Teignmouth!

Well, the cat is truly out of the bag- we are off to Teignmouth! After months of secret planning, the announcement was made on Sunday at the Launch Party, which was in itself a great night, so thank you to all that came.

So, there really is no excuse for not training now. Especially for me! I am mainly running at this stage, but will switch to riding more closer to the time (it just works for me, thats all).

Must comment on how pleased I am with our relationship with The North Devon Hospice- especially Emma Lowe. She has already made a positive difference, so on behalf of the committee- thank you.

And of course- the registrations are now live- and more importantly for me, automated! Each one took me 10-15 minutes each last year to copy up and record- this year thanks to Neil from Dynamica Solutions, it is all automated- bang, bish boosh- love it! This will free up more time for me to do high value things, like ….hmmmmm….wait, it will come to me…. you know, stuff.

See you out on your bikes!

Summer teases us….

Took advantage of the amazing weather today by going for a ride around Bideford, Westward Ho!, Appledore, and back home. 25 miles, averaged 14mph, so pleased with that.

In fact, pleased with my fitness overall. Sure, I couldn’t do the distance yet, but hey, it is February. June will come, and the mileage will increase in between.

And if we have weather like this weekend, then it really WILL be the event of the year.

Less than 5 months to go!

Bugger! Not long now then!

Had a great day, Sunday- doing a reckie of this years ‘d’ route. All I can say is, Challenge is the right word.

It is a great route, with hills, amazing countryside, and real roads- none of your namby-pampy dragstrips. This will be the REAL Devon, with REAL roads, and REAL countryside. I believe that you will know you have done a ride at the end- the view from the last 2 miles is truly stunning. It’s a route which is really different to anything we have ought you before- I can’t wait.

I know it will be a ride which you will remember!

So my training has started. Only 20 pounds overweight- less than five months to go. Running, sit ups and riding- nothing new for me.

It’s going to be a great year.

Training Accident!

Bloody heck, that must smart…

Happy Christmas!

Fame beckons….

Dee scores it big! It’s just a shame they didn’t airbrush out a couple of my chins……

Another new start

Been a busy boy this week. Had a few days off work, and have spent it doing the website over. Took about 10 hours or so- had a good clean out, and got rid of stuff which I had no idea was on there. Think it looks good now- just need a nice picture for the front page, and it will be complete for now.

Of course, this is on the news this week that we have had our status confirmed of being in the North Devon Festival. This is a great opportunity for us; it will enable us to us to gain more exposure by being part of this celebration of all things North Devon. In fact, when it was suggested by The North Devon Hospice that we should become part of the the festival, it did seem to be a natural progression for us.

Saying that, we will need all the support we can get- we have set some hefty goals for 2008. 250 riders and £25,000 raised for the charity is a stretch by anyone’s imagination! Start canvassing your friends and family, get them to be part of it!

Of course, as you will see, we did have to make one change to fit in to the schedule of the North Devon Festival- that of the date. From our usual first weekend of July, we have shifted it back to the 8th June. When it came up, we did feel that it was a natural change- and the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages. Hope you folks don’t mind.

And then we switch to the route- the changes! I am VERY excited about the route next year- Sean is doing some great work. I can reveal that it will have a 8am start, and will once again consist of 2 groups- both setting off at the same time. The D group will go direct to the destination, whilst the Z group will take a longer route to the end. This way the faster and fitter riders will have a tougher challenge than the first group- hopefully, something for everyone.

On top of this, I even managed to get out and do a few miles myself this week. BLOODY cold, but still managed to get out there.

So, I must go and pen a newsletter now. Hope that Christmas brings what you want, and that 2008 is an amazing year for your all.

Oh- don’t forget- tell everyone who is at your house on Christmas day- to join us on the 8th!