20 cyclists are currently cycling on the latest Ride25 cycling tour from Leeds to Paris. They are raising money for the homeless charity Simon on the Streets of which their General Manager, Helen Beachell is joining them (as one of the support staff). Here she gives her review of Day 1 of the Leeds to Paris Cycling tour…
What an amazingly hard first day. Day 1 was always billed as being the hardest, but with over 6,500ft of climbing and some serious navigational problems, it was tougher than any of us expected.
We’ve literally had blood sweat and tears today but everyone has made it to Ashby de la Zouche in one piece and by dinner, is in good spirits, and what’s even better, is that everyone is still up for day 2! (there were times when Jamie and I wondered just how many we would be sharing our white van with tomorrow….)
What struck me hardest today has got to be the ability of the human spirit to develop the tenacity and determination to carry on when things are more difficult that we could have imagined them to be. It’s strange really, after a career of almost 15 years working with vulnerable people who carry on and survive against all the odds, when giving up must be such an attractive option, that I hadn’t applied this to this group of 17 individuals who needed the same abilities today. They’ve carried on when they surely felt like giving up, they’ve smiled when tears seemed close, and what’s more they’ve completed day 1 with the drive to start all over again tomorrow.
The award for the most unbelievable moment has to go to Steve Slater who arrived last night having clocked 99.4 miles and simply wasn’t having it. He sailed past the hotel and did another half a mile just so that he could clock 100miles! There can’t be many of us that can say we’ve cycled 100 miles in a day.
The award for most stubborn and determined has to go to our lovely Irish friend, James Collett, who simply wasn’t going to let a knee the size of a football stop him from carrying on, despite medical advice and the grimace on his face as he packed ice around his leg and ate lunch. We won’t share the words we heard here…
Best comment for Day 1 belongs to Steve Dooley with “I like roads they tend to be flat” after approximately 50 miles of hills on the way out of Yorkshire.
The hills have been torturous today and the grit and determination has been spectacular, along with the scenery. Please, please help us generate as much sponsorship as we can to support those who face psychological “day 1’s” every single day, day in and day out. It is a fantastic motivator for the team to see the fundraising total rising as they pedal, and Salesforce have pledged to double whatever they raise for Simon on the Streets. We all still really need your support! Please sponsor the team here – https://www.justgiving.com/Salesforce-Cycleteam/
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