Hi all,
My ride was successfully completed today. Thanks so much for all the financial and other support. We’ve reached a staggering £1,930 in sponsorship and there’s still time to sponsor in case you meant to but haven’t got round to it. It would be nice to get to £2,000 ;) The link to my JustGiving page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andrew-walsh35
The experience today for me was quite profound and I’ve tried to capture it in the attached poem, which I hope you enjoy.
Thanks again,
Andrew
7.9.22
The ride
(in memory of those who made it to their end, heroically)
The morning of the ride, a poor night’s sleep, unusual
These days, that I need the alarm
It’s been stormy in the night, the rain is beating down outside
But a rainbow appears, as if for me, a sign, and I’ve decided to ride
A big breakfast, carb-loading, plenty of fluid, bags packed for the half-way break
And the rain now relents, sun out, it’s time
A familiar route, 4 circuits, each one linking 4 villages,
Remember, it’s not about the time, said my wife
I agree, it’s about Ian and the family, Papyrus, the charity, and poor James
Remembered
And the time (wink)
2 hours 45 my target
Early on, the first circuit, 3-way lights and flooding! Not expected
Then, another burst of rain, torrential, will it last? It passes
As does the hill from Barton Stacey, a test
But then disaster, cramp - so early! I have to stop, get off the bike
The thought I must abandon, all those supporters, the shame
But soon, with stretching, I’m back upon my steed
And then I begin to see it, for the first time
What this ride’s about
It’s about the struggle, best laid plans, uncertainty
Unfamiliar obstacles, lashing rain and red lights, cramp that forces you off the bike
Hills that test despite the training, streaming rivulets and pooled water, garbage trucks and gravel
The battle to keep going
Is agonising at times, hard, spirit-emptying
For some time I set my mind on James, his journey
Then think of my own mum who took her life, aged 59
My brother, died at 16, but never once complained in all his treatment, all those months
And others I know, even now, those alone in hospital
The road is tough, this ride for me has become about
Solidarity
I ditch the plan to build speed gradually, take it easy till the last
No, I will push each pedal, each rotation, to the max, for James
In solidarity with those who suffer but try, a small act yes
But costly in this moment
Relentlessly I press the pedal, my speed increases, I make the half-way stop ahead
In decent shape though needing food and drink, my wife is there, with Theo
The last 2 circuits have fewer incidents, though some, which slow me
I’m flying now at the speed of the wind through green pastures
Yet when I reach the fourth and final, I start to fear the worst
Reserves seem low, it’s getting harder, yet on in solidarity I must go
Gritted teeth on a hard road, at my limit
We may burn out but there’ll be no regrets, we will have given our all
The final lap takes its toll, that old weakness in my knee is exposed,
It’s a hard hard ride to the line but I make it, we make it, wherever that line may be
It’s the quickest lap and most sapping
My reception party is there to take care of me, celebrate together
I’ve had a glimpse of hard roads, this has been my hardest physical challenge
But finish in 2 hours 40, the best I could do, though the time doesn’t matter
Exhausted, unable to go on, yet heroic, overcoming and uplifted at times along the way
A bit like a rainbow, born of sun and rain
Ian, on behalf of Andrew Walsh
8th September 2022