Team Challenge

Reading to Bristol in aid of Breast Cancer Care

As some of you will know I have recently completed a charity cycle ride with two very good friends who have become known collectively as Team DotAlEna.

The big question that you might be asking (and one that I did ask myself at various stages) is “why”. Well I think I might have said yes following a glass or two of wine when many things seem like a good idea; but it all started as a fitness challenge to help a friend recover from a serious health scare and major surgery.

I am very glad that I said yes, Team DotAlEna did great and we all succeeded in the challenge in different and individual ways.

Training. We undertook a period of training to get us to the necessary level of fitness. This was a particular challenge for me as I would not have chosen cycling as one of my favorite activities. I would rather walk up a hill  than struggle to get both me and my bike defying gravity.

However I enjoyed the training more than anticipated. It was great to get out and get active at weekends and discover bits of the Taff trail that I had not been on before.  I also enjoyed some quality time with my team mates. We are so lucky to have beautiful countryside within easy access and all too often we are too busy with our daily lives to make the effort to get out and enjoy it. Also friends and friendship is so important to us all but again we often fail to ensure that we make enough time for each other.

Team work. A number of planning meetings were of course required and team members were allocated duties. Dorothy did a stirling job as Route and Accommodation Director (she had a map)  Ena was Director of Security ( she had a bike lock) and I was Technical Director (in charge of the cycle pump and puncture kit).

We did work well as a team and supported each other. We all had varying levels of fitness and coped with some aspects differently than others; this meant that we completed the challenge in our own ways but all contributed to the success of the team.

The Big Trip. We went through some wonderful countryside (for the first two days in glorious sunshine) which again had me thinking that we take what we have too much for granted.

One of the things that struck me was the different communities we encountered and how many people are living their lives differently. The route was full of people messing around on boats (barges) and communities of people living on house boats. We often complicate our lives with things that really do not matter and forget that the simple things in life are free.

On our second night we meet the most amazing lady, Peggy. She was staying at the same B&B and we ate together. She had just turned 75 and was walking 76 miles (one mile for each year of her life) raising money for the Church Army.  Peggy was a delight and an inspiration and I feel privileged to have spent some time with her. Peggy has worked for the Church Army all her life which has been dedicated to helping others. One reflection of hers has stayed with me in particular. When we arrived at our very nice B&B it had just started raining, Peggy arrived a little later and was quite wet and cold. She commented that when getting tired and trying to find the B&B, which was a little further than anticipated, she had thought about homeless people. She reflected on how different it was to know you had somewhere warm and dry to stay for the night than it must be for people who are cold and wet and alone and with nowhere to go.

I personally was really pleased with how my fitness enabled me to complete three days of cycling as well as I did. Cycling wise I did better than I had feared I might. Once again my natural determination to do something and do it well paid off. For the first time ever I actually got to the point of enjoying the hills (and yes I know that might sound a bit weird).

The Final Day. What can I say, it rained all day!  It was quite horrible. My strategy was to take off to try to get to the end as quickly as possible. By the time I arrived at Bristol Temple Meads I was shaking uncontrollably as I was so cold and so wet. The only positive was that my cycling legs and fitness held out and got me there. Also when I did get a coffee to try to warm up a bit it was the best cup of coffee ever. The final day did show how much grit and determination DotALEna had, we all got on with it, got there in our own way and without any whingeing along the way.

Family Support. I had a lot of support from the guys back home. My youngest son helped me with some of my training (even though I am much slower than him) and gave Team DotAlEna instruction in puncture repair skills. My eldest son tweeted our progress and was very proud of our achievement and I have never been so pleased to see my husband when he collected me and my bike from Cardiff station still cold and wet.

A bit for Charity. As we were doing this challenge anyway we thought that it would be a good idea to try to raise a few funds for charity at the same time. We chose Breast Cancer Care as Breast Cancer has touched so many people close to us and the support that they provide to individuals and families effected is amazing.

If anyone would still like to donate here is the link http://www.justgiving.com/DotAlEna

And finally, what is the next challenge??? Details to follow, need a few team meetings and glasses of wine first before plans can be finalised but no doubt there will be one.

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