Pedal in Preston Park

At the beginning of the year as part of the Sam Smiles charity challenge I'd considered doing an endurance ride of the velodrome at Preston Park, Brighton.   When I heard about an event being organised to raise funds for the local Motor Neurone Disease Association and Martlets Hospice it just had to go on the list of events.

On Saturday Shaun and I headed to Preston Park to meet up with Nik and her husband and some fellow Boshers who were also taking part.   The plan had been to see what the weather was like before we decided on the amount of laps - luckily it was a dry day so the aim was 100 laps each, a distance of around 57km (37 miles).

We even managed to get a trip out in Tribby too - much easier than trying to load the bikes in the boot of the car!

It was quite busy at 12 when we arrived as the youths had only just finished their laps and there were still quite a few club cyclists completing theirs.   We did our first 50 laps (about 20 miles) and took a quick hot drink and cake break (Shaun hoovered up the sausage rolls).

Break time

 The next 50 laps seemed to take forever but eventually we were all finished - Shaun did 122 laps, Nik did 107 and I did 100.  Everybody who took part got a finisher's medal, and buy more drink and cake!

It was a brilliant afternoon of cycling -  the first velodrome ride and the furthest I've cycled this year.   At the time of writing the update from the Pedal organisers is that a total of 14,493 laps were ridden, raising over £10,000 for the two charities.

Time to start planning or next year's events.

In memory of Sam !

Today is Sam's birthday - the last couple of weeks have been a little "difficult", getting organised for Color Run had bought some sad feelings to the fore.  




Sam loved doing Color Run last year, the inaugural event for Brighton so it was fitting to take part this year and we were joined by Sam's mum, Lou who was chief photographer, bag carrier, supplier of water and chocolate at the end.  

This year's t-shirts were printed with our Just Giving text numbers.  

Queuing up for the start was an emotional moment - especially getting a mention from the starting crew.   We were soon off on our trip through the color along Madeira Drive.   Sam's cry of "drop and roll" featured heavily, together with snow angels and generally getting smothered in as much as paint as we could.    Last year we promised we'd revisit the pink zone on the way back to the finish !

I'm sure Sam would've loved this year's Color Run - apart from the guy in Orange zone who told us to get off the floor!

Last Sunday I took part in an SRS cyclosportive - the Brighton 2 Brighton!  I actually have no idea why I thought this was a good idea - it takes in one of the county's toughest hill climbs - Devil's Dyke  .   I've still got a lot of work to do on hill climbing and I hadn't been out on the bike very much in the last couple of weeks.   Shaun decided that the 20 mile route (Pequeno) would be sufficient to give me experience and a sense of achievement.    We arrived at Hove Lawns at our allocated time, collected our map, race number and timing chip and then joined the queue to head out to Shoreham before turning North and then starting the climb up the Dyke.   I have to say it was exhausting - some really horrible short, sharp hills, some lovely downhills.   All in all a great event, although the start of the route left a lot to be desired as it was on some very busy main roads before we got to the countryside!

The climb up Devils Dyke itself was horrible - I had nothing left.  My breathing was all over the place despite having done two separate doses on my puffer and I couldn't risk my heart rate going any higher.   I already suspected I'd have to walk the bike up - I managed the start of the incline but after a few turns of the pedals I was off.    The walk of shame was all mine!   Shaun continued on without me until he got a short way up and then he insisted on pushing me up with a few "shoves of hope".  We'd done it, between us, I'd made it to the top!    The descent back into Brighton was amazing - apart from having to stop at a large busy roundabout and various traffic lights.   We made it back to Hove Lawns in 2 hours and 1 minute and were awarded Silver.  When we got home I checked on the website and found out we'd missed Gold by 1 flipping minute.  Guess that means we'll be back next year to knock that 1 minute and a bit more off the time!

I'm pretty pleased with how it went, I knew beforehand I'd struggle up the Dyke but I'm glad we did the event - apart from the lack of medal!  Official photographs aren't available at the time of writing - if there are any I'll post them ..... of me doing the walk of shame.

So two more events done in Sam's memory and additional funds for the fundraising for Brain & Spine Foundation.    Two more events for me for this year at the moment - Pedal in Preston Park (laps of the Brighton velodrome) and support/photographer at the Brighton Santa Run.

If you would like to donate please click on the Brain & Spine Foundation link above.

Tribby's Travels - the New Forest

We've just had a lovely week off work and spent some of it in the New Forest.

On Saturday we went to the wedding of Shaun's nephew, Phil, to Emily.  

It was a lovely day - I love getting dressed up, even though I'd had a fair amount of stress finding the right dress, but eventually I found just what I was looking for.

Mother & daughter 

Daddy's girl

Me & him

Don't we scrub up nice?

On Sunday we packed up Tribby and headed to my parents to pick up the dog and start our few days away.  Our first destination and one night stopover was the lovely Beverley Farm at Medstead.   We got a great welcome from the owner Andy who showed us around this small site.  We were the only unit staying that night so we had a lovely field all to ourselves with electric hook up, and three rams in a neighbouring field.  

Hook up at Beverley Farm is a little different to most we've found - at this site you pay for what you use!  We gave Andy £2 for our overnight and the next morning just before we left Andy came down and told us we'd only used 90p worth!   Apart from the hook up, water & CDP there are no facilities so it's only suitable for motorhomes and caravans & there are only a couple of pitches.   Unfortunately we didn't have much time to explore apart from a couple of walks with the dog.  We will be back to Beverley Farm in the future for a weekend stay and explore a bit more as it's only an hour or so from home!

On Monday morning we carried on down to Sway, on the New Forest.   Rushcroft Farm is another lovely site, small with hook up (charged at £2 per night), Water, CDP, washing up facilities and two toilets and two showers.   When we were there there were only half a dozen units staying so it was very quiet, although there are quite a few pitches.

The thing I loved about this site was the railway which was a short walk away (and the only drawback to the site too as the farm backs on to the track so it was a bit noisy - but you got used to that after a while).  On Tuesday we decided to go into Brockenhurst by train.   Sway train station means that you can practically go anywhere on the Forest and beyond so there is no need to move the campervan if you want to go out for the day- no worries about parking, car park charges or traffic!  We had a lovely day walking round the shops and walking Archie on the Forest.

Brockenhurst - The Splash

Archie loved running around - especially through the poo!

On Wednesday we decided to stay local and walked around the Setthorns Inclosure (which is mainly used for camping but has some lovely trails to walk and cycle).  

It was a lovely walk and we saw a deer

On the way back we popped into the Hare & Hounds for lunch and a well earned cider!

Archie loves a pub chip!

On Thursday we headed home - we will be back to the New Forest next year.   It's the ideal distance from home for a long weekend and is ideal for dog walking.  We also need to come back with the bikes!   I think that's it now for Tribby until next year when we've got quite a few trips planned already!

Saturday saw the pass through Newhaven of the Tour of Britain.  Shaun headed into Brighton to see the finish and I stayed at home - mainly because I'd agreed to bake cakes and help with teas and coffees at our local park.   It was great to see the town turn out to support!

What's next?   Next weekend is the Color Run in memory of Sam and it looks as though I've signed up to do the Brighton 2 Brighton Cyclosportive the following weekend!   Watch this space for more news!

Tribby's Travels - Bank Holiday Weekend

Our fourth trip out in the campervan was to a very small site in the wilds of Kent at Braid Farm, Smarden    Our friends Paula and Dave have had Bessie motorhome for nearly two years and they wanted to join us so Bessie and Tribby had their first trip out together!  We left Archie with my parents for the weekend and took the bikes to get some use out of the bike rack and to see something of the area.

Bessie didn't arrive until late on the Saturday so Shaun and I headed out on the bikes - a lovely 17 mile ride around the country roads.  Not too sure about the driving of some Kent residents - they seem to have 2 speeds - go and go faster!

On Sunday morning (following a drink & food fuelled Saturday night) Shaun headed out on a solo ride for a couple of hours.   When he got back he suggested walking up the road to Headcorn Aerodrome where there was a big car boot being held.   That didn't last long because by the time we got there the stalls were starting to pack up.   As we were in cider country (and there were quite a few farms dotted around us) we decided to venture out to Biddenden Vineyard which was about 4 miles away - Shaun and I went on the bikes and Paula & Dave travelled in style in Dolly (their little towing car).   We bought some lovely produce, walked around the vineyard, tasted some cider and wine and made the journey back to the campsite!

There were a couple of things we loved about this site - one was the resident wallaby population

the other was that there were only about 10 "units" parked on the site with a massive big field and a wood to walk dogs round.

We also liked being near the Aerodrome - although it was pretty noisy all weekend with light aircraft flying in and out all the time - it was great to see the different types of aircraft and parachutists jumping out of the planes.

Monday's weather was dire for the whole day.  We left Paula and Dave and Bessie at the site and made our way home.      I think we'll definitely be back to this site, with or without the dog - not sure what he'll make of the wallabies!

Our next trip is just around the corner - we've got a family wedding on Saturday and then we're heading to the New Forest on Sunday to Thursday - the longest trip we've done so far!  We've got to get back as the Tour of Britain starts this weekend and goes through Newhaven on Saturday - wouldn't miss that for anything!

It's Been a While !

It's ok I'm still here!  I've written a couple of posts and then deleted them - guess the old bloggers block has taken hold, either that or so much has happened since the end of June I didn't know where to start!  So, here's a brief run down of what's been going on

July 1st - 25th wedding anniversary celebrations!  We were supposed to go for Afternoon Tea but that turned out to be more difficult than we thought.   We did go back to the Peacehaven motorhome dealership and have another look around the motorhomes there, and then we accidentally put a deposit down on one - more later!   We did get our afternoon tea but later than anticipated and in a different location - Litlington Tea Rooms comes highly recommended and with a bit of cleverness we actually ended up having a delicious feast!

July 3rd - travelled to York for a mini holiday and to watch the Tour De France for 2 days which was starting in Leeds on the 5th.    I can highly recommend letting the "train take the strain".  Travelling from my parents to London, tubing it from London Bridge to Waterloo and then getting the train to York was definitely the best decision we made the whole weekend!  We had a lovely couple of days sightseeing - snickelling in the Shambles, walking the city walls and avoiding the usual visitor attractions that we'd done 26 years previous.

walking the city walls

snickling in the Shambles

River cruise

July 5th - travelled from York to Harrogate - Stage 1 of the Grand Depart of the 101st Tour de France Leeds to Harrogate.  Definitely not a good idea - it seems the whole world, his wife and Uncle Tom Cobbley & All had decided the finish was the best place to watch (unless they were in Leeds, or lining the streets of the whole route it turns out).   Even at 9.30am when we arrived there was very little space on the actual finishing straight, lots of camping chairs with very few people sitting in them, but nonetheless very little space.  (I'm kind of over it now but on the day I was less than pleased at the antics of some people with their camping chairs - something we've never taken to any cycling race ever).   So, Shaun decided the best thing was to head to the Fan Park and watch the race on the big screen and sit in the sun, soak up some atmosphere - the other half of the world, his wife & Uncle Tom were there too - packed!    It was so busy that an hour before the race was due to arrive in Harrogate a safety announcement was made that no-one should leave the park as the town was at capacity.   So that was where we stayed - I have to say a great decision in the end, the atmosphere was great, there was plenty to see and do, including two British cyclists who were doing Q&A sessions at the Skoda tent!

Kristian House & Helen Wyman

July 6th - Got up early, had a quick breakfast, checked out of our hotel and legged it up the road to nab a spot to watch the roll out from York Racecourse.  There was no way I was coming all this way not to see the glimpse of the Yellow jersey and a few riders.   Again, a great atmosphere and lots of lovely people to chat to whilst we waited and then at 11ish through they came.

Was great to see them all - apart from Cavendish who crashed out on the first day!  As soon as they'd passed we legged it to the railway station to make our return journey home.

Not much to report for the rest of July apart from watching the Tour de France on telly and wishing we were in France watching it - especially the Northern bits where Chris Froome abandoned and Contador came to a sticky end a few days later!   All in all, I thought it was great race this year.   Losing the favourites so early on opened up the race, although Nibali was by far the strongest of the field.   It enabled some of the riders that the general public will have never seen before to come to the fore and make a name for themselves, some that Shaun and I have watched for many years but have been hidden by the big boys.   For all the moaning about Wiggo not being picked for the Sky Team, for me, it was one of the best Tour de Frances I've seen!

We finally took ownership of our motorhome at the end of July - a 2 berth Trigano Tribute, or Tribby for short.   We've wanted a motorhome for absolutely ages and it was on the "when we retire" list.   But ...... having experienced some pretty tough times recently and thoughts turning to the future we thought "bollocks" and did it now!   To us life is far too short and it's time to enjoy it while we can.

Nothing fancy, just enough room for me, Shaun & the dog, plus an occasional couple of extras with their camping equipment (Danni!)  We have our own kitchen and bathroom so not totally dependent on all singing and dancing campsites.   We've joined a motorhoming site called BritStops.   This enables us to travel around staying for 24 hours in various places including pubs, farms and vineyards.    We've done 3 trips already - the first was to a campsite in Lingfield for one night to test everything out

the second was to a small campsite in Herstmonceux to gauge electric and water usage

and the third was a BritStop weekend to the New Forest, staying at a cider farm

We've had a lot of fun so far and have lots of plans for the future - I think there may have to be a separate blog for Tribby's Travels - what do you think?  

Juneathon Day 29 - I'm out !

I can't believe that with one day to go I'm ringing the drop out bell.   The plan was to go out on the bike today and do 20 miles, unfortunately I didn't reckon on my favourite saboteur getting sidetracked and then running out of time.   I haven't even reached my step target today - only missed it by 1,663 but I seriously have run out of energy to go for another walk! 

Today's target was 13,570 which ordinarily wouldn't have been a problem, hubby shot out and did the morning dog walk and then we headed off to do a small food shop.   He then decided to drive to Lancing to look round a motorhome dealership, and then back to Peacehaven to look round this

That took us up until 2.30pm - he kept promising we could go out after the afternoon dog walk, but that ended up with going via the pub and not getting home until 6!   By that time I'd given up on the whole day and decided Juneathon was finishing today.   To be fair I feel like I've been a bit of a lightweight during this whole thing.  I thought it would be a lot easier to get out on the bike than it has been but I didn't reckon on Mr B putting up obstacles at every point, he really hasn't embraced the whole Juneathon thing this year.

So that's that - I'm out!

Juneathon Totals

Vivofit steps : 410,671
Distance : 281k (175 miles)
Cycle : 93 miles

On the Garmin Connect 95k challenge I'm 4th this week!

Juneathon Days 27 & 28 - One good, one bad!

I've got a bit behind with the logging and blogging but I have good reason - excuses later!

Friday (27th) I had a lovely walk into work, instead of walking along Marine Parade (top road) I got off at Marine Gate and dropped down onto Madeira Drive and walked along the beach path. 

Way to go!

Started from there

Usually walk up there!

 In Brighton you should never be surprised at what you witness even at 8.30 in the morning.   On Friday I saw a man doing push-ups in his budgie-smugglers, a number of people working with PTs including this young lady who was really going for it with the TRX hooked up to an arch!

I also spotted these strange pictures on the pavement - apparently it's interactive music "Walk of Fame" experience - one of these every few steps shows a musical link to Brighton (from Abba to The Who)

 and then I walked past Steve Ovett (it's traditional - apparently - to rub the big guys foot)

 After work I took Archie out for his walk and then hubby and I headed back into Brighton for dinner and to see Dawn French at The Theatre Royal in her show "30 million minutes".   If you're a fan of Dawn French and haven't been yet - go!   She'll having you roaring with laughter, crying with sadness and pity, and then crying with laughter! 

 A fantastic way to start my week's holiday and our wedding anniversary celebrations.

Day 27 steps were 16,877 = 7.3 miles

On to Day 28 - today has been a massive fail on the steps front and it was always going to be.  I hope I can be excused from failing because today was all about celebrations, spending time with much loved family and friends.  Today was the celebration of my parents 50th wedding anniversary and our 25th.   There's not much more I can say about today except that it was amazing, we've reminisced, eaten, drunk and generally had a bloody good laugh.  Here's a few photos

One of my gorgeous bridesmaids 25 years ago and her daughter

The young ones!

my amazing parents

Today's rubbish total steps are 4,620 = 2 miles 

Day 29 will be much better - if it's not chucking it down with rain we ARE going out on the bikes!

Juneathon Totals

Vivofit steps : 398,764
Distance : 273k (170 miles)
Cycle : 93 miles