Tuesday 3rd September

For the first time in four days the waterproofs, tights, leg warmers, shoe covers and thermals came off and the sunglasses came on as we basked in glorious sunshine cycling passed Ben Nevis and along the entire length of Lock Ness. I can report that the only monstrous thing we saw, however, was Bernard McEvoy in shrink-wrapped in Lycra.

Michael (the driver) must have been tired because despite the fact that it was the simplest route chosen oven the 10 days of the trip he managed to take a wrong turning which resulted in the riders missing their lunch stop. Perhaps he got dodgy instructions, but I doubt it. When we spoke to him he said he was overcome by the beauty of the landscape and even thought he is Irish he grudgingly accepts that Scotland it is a more beautiful country.

It dawned on me today that I haven’t provided any update on what we eat. Since we descend on shops, tea rooms and hotels like a swarm of locusts and within minutes eat every last crumb, below is a list of what we will typically eat to keep our strength up:

7am (at least 30 mins after Neill calls us down): 1 – 2 bowls of cereal, a yoghurt, a bowl of porridge, fruit, brown toast and a cooked breakfast (e.g. two boiled eggs, hash brown and toast) – some have even more

10.30am: usually a sandwich, cake, cereal bars, scones, energy bars and a pint of milk

12.30pm: whilst on the bike – cereal bars / energy bars, cakes and/or biscuits

1.30 – 2pm: Lunch – usually a loaf of bread, cheese, ham, pastries, coleslaw, eccles cakes and a pint of milk

4pm: more cereal bars / energy bars, cakes and/or biscuits

7pm: a pint of milk

9pm: Dinner – two main meals each with extra side orders and a couple of beers
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Today we managed 107 miles in 9.5 hours. We are now all geared up for the big finale tomorrow – a 120 mile epic to the finish line.

Thank you for your continuing donations. We have now raised over £13,800 –http://www.justgiving.com/1039miles 

Langer of the Day = Bernard McEvoy – the erratic Bernard stop suddenly without any warning causing a three bike pile up. Kenny Dalby was worst affected and was sent rolling down a hill into the edge of a forest.

Performer of the Day = Kenny Dalby – the ‘big man’ survived the fall and cycled well all day.

Day 7

Yesterday the team started the day just outside of Liverpool and rolled through the industrial north east of England. With less to look at the group turned to the usual topics of Greek philosophy, complex legal problems and ornithology. Bernard, having been given a book on the tour de france for his birthday entertained the group with interesting facts about the race.

Having flirted with Wigan and Manchester for half of the day they finally got to the English hills again. With the spirits rising the heavens opened to reminded the group that they are in Britain after all and heading north!!!

Highlights of the day included a stop of Garstang to be greeted by brilliantly welcoming people only too willing have a laugh and to give to the cause.

96 miles and 9.5 hours later we ended in Kendal at the foot of the Lake District with hopes and excitement of what is in store tomorrow.

Performer of the Day: Gerald Byrne – struggling with two injured knees and a dodgy ankle, Gerald spent the evening with ice-packs strapped to each leg.  He didn’t let it affect his performance though – 10/10

Langer of the Day: Ercus Stewart – two yellow card offenses.  Firstly for coldly stealing Kenny’s Eccles cakes at our lunch stop; secondly for leading Ben down the garden path…only 2 miles in the wrong direction.  Must do better.

Cyclist update:

Matt Hoyle- the resident Australian is still putting in a huge effort and is under strict orders not to shave his lucky beard as so far it has worked its mysterious powers making sure the group got safely home each day. Looks great in white.

Kenny – showed a new side of himself at dinner regaling the gang about his escapades in Budapest baths. Becoming a master of the puncture repairing and really looking forward to bringing us home to bunny Scotland.

Ercus – the silver tongue, blue eyed ‘face’ of the group managed to make 75 peoples’ day with his quick remarks. Most of the 75 were only delighted to give a few pounds to the cause after a few minutes with Ercus.

Neill – We would be in Colombia and not Cumbria if Neill was not on the trip. Managed to stretch, eat two sandwiches and clean his bike in the time it takes Bernard to go to the toilet.

Gerald – although his triceps are very impressive he still manages to reduce the masculinity levels of the group with the Sofie Lauren glasses he fashions. That extra weight and size are a huge benefit on the downhills, pity about the climbs!!!!!!

Ben –   it is very hard to believe this is his 5th day in the saddle as he looks brand new. Not a big fan on geese eggs but strong on facts. Wild youthful imagination makes him see umbrellas where toil is only present.

Bernard- beginning to realise that he would never have made it in the tour having read the book he has been given. Keeping spirits very high and using all of his extensive charm to get donations at bus stops and delis.

Michael- Moonlighting as a wedding photographer in his time off. Brilliant all day with the group.

The new group member is Andrew Coldwell who joined the group today.

Saturday, today is Day 7  and the team will enter Scotland as they cycle 96 miles from Kendal to Dumfries

Again you can show your support for the team’s fantastic and unwavering spirit as they take on the challenge! www.justgiving.com/1039miles 

Langer and Performer of the day!

 

The team are going strong and have even made some friends along the way – see sheep above!

Wednesday (Day 4) was another fantastic day for the team. Despite a boozy team building session in the evening and a very poor breakfast at a shoddy hotel in Weston-Super-Mere we cruised into Bristol, over the Severn bridge and into the stunning Welsh countryside.
With sprits high, perfect weather and Bernard challenging everyone to a race we managed to make the 97 mile trek in a mere 10 hours.

To give you a sense of the performances of the team I am introducing a ‘Performer of the Day’ award for the star cyclist and a ‘Langer of the Day’ for poor performance.

Day 1
Langer of the Day = Bernard McEvoy: the award undoubtedly went to the Chairman for a strop that any teenager would have been proud of.

Performer of the Day = Neill Shrimpton: an easy choice for two reasons: (i) for setting a good early pace and (ii) teaching us all how to deal with a belligerent Bernard McEvoy.

Day 2
Langer of the Day = Neill Shrimpton: the 107 mile day through Dartmoor clearly took its toll on Mr Shrimpton. He couldn’t handle the fourth 30% hill of the day and collapsed sideways into a bush.

Performer of the Day = Ben Williams : the super featherweight, hill climbing extraordinaire wins the award for saving the teams’ life – as the only rider to have had the foresight to bring lights, he guided the team across Dartmoor in the pitch black to safety.

Other notable performances on Day 2
Gerald Byrne – with swollen knees he kept on going until the bitter end and showed admirable perseverance
Ercus Stewart – as the oldest member of the team he taught us all a thing or two about the value of experience

Day 3
Langer of the Day = Ben Williams: from hero-to-zero, Ben gets the award for several incidences of insubordination to a senior partner, Bernard McEvoy. Notably, expressing surprise each time Bernard wasn’t the last one up a hill.

Performer of the Day = Ercus Stewart: unbelievable ability to charm every passer-by, Ercus even managed to attract several donations by sweat-talking the locals. Good all round performance.

Day 4
Performer of the Day = Bernard McEvoy: came back with a bang, Bernard was in top form all day taking absolutely everything that Wales threw at him.

“Langer of the Day” = Bernard McEvoy: manages to win both awards. With less than 1 mile to go, Bernard challenged Ben to yet another race. Not playing by the rules, Bernard swerved straight for him causing Ben to veer off and crash into a ditch. Seeing the funny side, Ben still beat Bernard in the race

Today is Day 6 and the team will travel from Frodsham to Kendal. Keep checking back in to see who will be the Langer of the Day and Performer of the day over the weekend.

Don’t forget you can donate on www.justgiving.com/1039miles 

Day 3

Day 3 sees the team cycle 97 miles from Bovey Tracey to Weston Super Mare.

They’re still at early days but the team are in good spirits and going strong!

Don’t forget donations can be made on www.justgiving.com/1039miles

Day 2

Day 2 and the team are cycling from Helston to Bovey Tracey.

The team would like to thank Bugler Developments who have sponsored the shirts and been a great support for the cycle.

Show the team how great they are by donating online at www.justgiving.com/1039miles 

Remembering the faithful departed (while they’re still with us) – A piece in the Irish Times

In today’s Irish Times you will find an excellent piece on the Forgotten Irish. Whether it’s in print or online make sure you read this article which also focus’s on our charity cycle starting tomorrow.

Donate at www.justgiving.com/1039miles 

Hitting the mark

The target is £15,000 but the team is looking to raise as much as possible from their hard efforts for the Forgotten Irish. With the start of the cycle Land’s End in just two days the team have already raised over £10,000 which is fantastic!

We’d like to thank everyone who has supported the fundraising efforts and Please Show Your Support if you haven’t done so already.

Keeping in good spirits

Gavin Kelly from Celtic Football Club Charity with Bernard McEvoy. Gavin Kelly has been working with The Ireland Fund of Great Britain to help identify need in Glasgow.

Visiting Southwark Irish Pensioners Project

On Wednesday July 24th some of the cyclists along with The Ireland Fund of Great Britain visited the Southwark Irish Pensioners Project to present them with a cheque for £10,000.

Cyclists Bernard McEvoy, Neill Shrimpton and Ben Williams from the law firm Brown Rudnick and Michael O’Driscoll from RTE who is the Chef D’Equipe (or logistics man) for the cycle attended the presentation and tour of Southwark Irish Pensioners Project.

From the fundraising efforts of the team they hope to raise over £15,000 for projects like the Southwark Irish Pensioners Project who are supported under the Forgotten Irish campaign.

In the last number of years the Southwark Irish Pensioners Project has had a drop in funding due to cuts made by the council. The Southwark Irish Pensioners Project works with some of the most disadvantaged and isolated elderly Irish people in London. The work they do is vital for the vulnerable people in our community. The Ireland Fund of Great Britain was delighted to be in a position to help support them by donating £10,000 due to the wonderful work they do in both their centre and in their outreach work.

Remember you can donate at www.justgiving.com/1039miles 

Letter from Taoiseach Enda Kenny

The cyclists were proud to receive a letter from the Taoiseach Enda Kenny offering encouragement on their upcoming cycle.

Wishing the team the best of luck Mr. Kenny highlights the importance of the work The Ireland Fund of Great Britain’s Forgotten Irish campaign does noting, “The work the Forgotten Irish campaign does to support older Irish in Britain remains as vital as ever. It is important to remember those generations who left Ireland for Britain and all that they did to establish the thriving Irish community that exists in Britain today. They laid the foundation for the excellent relationship that Ireland and Britain now enjoy.”