The story of the day, and the final total

We've put together the story of our mammoth expedition: you can read it here.

We have counted the coppers, summed up the silver, noted the notes and reckoned what we received.  Thanks to your generosity, our final total is:

£2000!

This is double our original target of £1000!  Thanks to everyone who donated.

Target reached!

We've reached our target for online donations!  Thanks to our generous Karaoke Coordinator for the final donation which pushed us past the target of £1000.  (You can still donate, of course, at http://justgiving.com/BBCM2MODCycle).

We've started to tot up the cash donations.   We have counted cash in the buckets totalling £140, including some £63 collected en route (PWR had to carry the cash pot all the way from Staines!)

If you have pledged on paper, please contact any of us to settle your donation.  We hope to collect the remaining pledges within the next week.

Thanks again!

Slideshow

More photos

Quick update: photos of the start and finish are now available here.

Looking back

So it's now a couple of days since we completed the ride to London, time to look back on the ride.

We started about five minutes late from Caversham, and lost a little more time on the way here & there.  The first section of the ride, to Windsor, was much easier than previously, partly because we knew the route but also because there were no sponsored walkers - we could keep up a steady pace rather than constantly stopping and starting (very energy-sapping). We came up with a relay system for the hateful kissing gates, meaning we breezed through them.

The weather was perfect throughout the ride.  Twice there was moisture in the air but it never turned to rain; the weather was clear without being too sunny or cloudy, and the winds, such as they were, tended to blow with us.

Last Sunday's experience meant that the original lunch planned for Windsor was moved to Staines - good job too.  I was wearing the Help for Heroes T-shirt throughout the ride, so I was detailed to go round the pub shaking the collecting tin.  Luckily PWR had to carry the resulting sackful of coppers!

By the time we got to Sunbury Lock at 1410 we were back on schedule, but from then on we seemed to slow down a little.  Paul's big fall outside Richmond didn't help, nor did the two punctures suffered on Putney Bridge.

Peter Mandelson snubbed us outside Horse Guards Parade, but no matter as by then we were within sight of our destination.  We made it about an hour later than planned, tired but all happy and still talking to each other!

Photos of the start are here and we'll upload more later.

Success!

We did it!  Only one injury and two punctures.  We reckon the ride was about 80 miles all told, so we made reasonable time, arriving at the MOD at about 6pm.

We're all celebrating now, so more updates tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for your support and generous donations.  We think we have easily made our £1000 target, but there is still time to donate at http://justgiving.com/BBCM2MODCycle!

GPSed Track "BBCM to MOD Cycle"

View my new track "BBCM to MOD Cycle" started in United Kingdom, England, Reading.
Follow us live as we ride from Caversham to London
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(PS: The battery on my phone gave up well before Staines, so this is incomplete, sorry)

Itinery for tomorrow

Time Duration Location
0730 0 Caversham
0810 40 Hambledon Lock
0815 5 Flowerpot Public House
0845 30 Hurley Lock (include 5 min break)
0855 10 Temple Lock
0905 10 Marlow (include 5 min break)
0935 30 Bourne End
0945 10 Cookham
1005 20 Maidenhead Lock
1020 15 Bray Lock
1050 30 Windsor
BREAK for 15 mins
1105 Windsor
1145 40 Old Windsor Lock
1210 25 Bell Weir
1225 15 Staines
LUNCH for 30 mins
1255 Staines
1300 5 Penton Hook Lock
1320 20 Chertsey Lock
1340 20 Shepperton Lock
1410 30 Sunbury Lock
1435 25 Hampton Court
BREAK for 15 mins
1450 Hampton Court
1515 25 Teddington Lock
1550 35 Kew Bridge
1700 70 MOD Main Building (Finish)

Last weekends ride from Windsor to London

Not our best ride, it was cold, there wasn't much enthusiasm to start with, and two punctures in quick succession and and accident delayed our progress. Still all well in the end.

We went through a further 3 kissing gates and crossed the river another 8 times. The ride is mainly track but that starts just before Staines and starts permanently from a couple of miles prior to Shepperton Lock, until London.

The lack of breakfast caused an initial problem but with the Weatherspoons breakfast at Staines got the team running again. Although there were little hazards the ride is very boring. In fact the only thing that helped us complete the ride was the thought of a Pasty at Paddington station.

This seems like a longer ride and confirmation that this is almost twice as far as the ride to Windsor but it is easier under tyre. As you reach London you think at Richmond you are almost there, but it is at least another 20 miles.

The path in London is under repair in many areas so you have to take diversions. Once you cross Putney Bridge there is no real path and we will be following Cycle Route 4 into the City.

Update to follow

I have now planned the times on the route, identified the numbers of Bridges we cross and Kissing gates we go through. This was after our training run on Sunday that we completed, although I think that it was longer than we had thought.

I will update the site with the details shortly

GPSed Track "Menhir Majanicho"

View my new track "Menhir Majanicho" started in Spain, Canary Islands, La Oliva.

this is the track I used as a training run on Fuerteventura on saturday.

Powered by GPSed.com - Free Mobile GPS Tracking Service

GPSed Track "a wander round the grounds"

I've found a wonderful program for my phone, which allows me to track where I am on a map in real time. This will be great during the ride, as it will allow anyone to see where we are!

I tested it this afternoon, wandering around the grounds of Caversham Park.

View my new track "a wander round the grounds" started in United Kingdom, England, Reading.
Powered by GPSed.com - Free Mobile GPS Tracking Service

Kennet & Avon Canal

Paul's ride probably counts as more useful than mine as he took the route we'll all be taking on the 22nd!  I went for distance training - another 35-or-so mile ride from Hungerford to Reading along the Kennet & Avon Canal.

A really pleasant ride today.  The towpath is rough & ready as far as Newbury.  You then have to follow roads through Thatcham, which is really good as there are wide, smooth cycle paths to ride along.  The towpath east of Thatcham has been improved substantially, it is quite smooth and easy to ride.  I was able to use my road gears for most of this distance, and made good time.

Met a couple of Antipodeans on the way who very kindly gave me £20 for Help for Heroes.  They reckon Caversham to London usually takes them two days, just what I wanted to hear (NOT!)

Once I got to Reading I had to endure an afternoon of shopping, far more tiring than the ride!

Another run to Windsor and back

Took another ride today to Windsor just to count a few gates and bridges. left home at 0720 and within 25 mins I was repairing a flat which took about 20 mins. No sympathy from the rowers and their support staff on the banks at Henley.

The route is much more muddier than last ride and the track is covered by leaves, which makes it difficult to see tree routes which are very slippery in the damp morning.

The sun is low that early and I was riding into it for much of the way, so sunglasses was essential.

Many of the brides crossing the river are wooden and some of those along the path are wooden too. These are very slippery and a couple of times I put the bike down. So had to walk across them. The bridge at Temple lock was the most dangerous.

Managed to get to Windsor at about 10-30 and started the ride back along the A4. Made it home at about 12-30 after a stop for a very large pasty and drink.

Anyway some facts from the ride.

Number of gates for kissing 16

Number of gates (not at locks) passed through 12.

Number of river crossings not including Windsor 6.

The crossings over the river are at Henley, Hurley Lock twice, Temple Lock, Bourne End and Maidenhead

The money is rolling in

More sponsorship arrived yesterday on our JustGiving page.  I was stuck in a meeting all day but managed to get a further £80 sponsorship pledges from others stuck there!  We're well on our way to our £1000 target.

Photoshoots

More photoshoots today!  It was chucking it down with rain so we chickened out and took the pics indoors.

First Training Run

Absolutely loved it, early start and a little jaded from the night before.

We were not the most prompt team with a number of people adrift (including me). However when we all turned up, we had to run repairs on Ashley's Mean Machine. So instead of the 07:30 prompt start we didn't get going until 07:55.

Once riding it felt good. The path started clear with only the rowers crossing the path in their quest to row up and down a small part of the river. By the time we reached Maidenhead, all the dog walkers etc. were out. At one point we met up with a team of over 100 sponsored walkers waiting for a lift across the river. But with a lot of bell ringing and pushing we managed to move around them.

After that we pushed on and raised the pace a little too much and by the time we got to Windsor, we could all feel it. Nice pint in the Carpenter's Arms by the castle before the ride to Slough and the train back.

A few lessons learned.

1. Don't take on boats doing only 4 knots as that is not very fast.

2. Don't stare at boats you are trying to beat

3. The path is narrow in places

4. The river is deep in places

5. The Thames is freshwater at Cookham

6. Kissing gates are not just for kissing

7. There are a lot of Kissing gates on the path

8. There are a lot of bad kissers in the team (only joking) your all good kissers (only joking)

9. Chris Hoy has nothing to worry about for the 2012 Olympics

Quote of the ride:

'Those Kissing Gates are a pain in the A**e' response 'Then you are going through them incorrectly'

Spent this evening trying to work out how to create a sponsorship page on Facebook with no success. But being only a novice in this area that is not a surprise.

Sunday's route

This is the route we took on Sunday, complete with timestamps.



View Larger Map

For those who can't see the Twitter updates, they went something like this:

0735: About to leave, but 2 not arrived yet!  (I didn't know Jock couldn't make it; we left just before 0800)
0854: 3 miles downstream from Hambledon lock
0931: Marlow, just under half way
1007: Bourne End at 10am
1044: Bray, lots of walkers on the path today
1123: We made it to Windsor!  the hill up to the castle has done us all in.

Caversham to Windsor

Five of the team took a training run from Caversham to Windsor yesterday; this will be just under half the final run.

It took us about three-and-a-quarter hours - pretty much the time we expected, although on the main event day it might be worth taking a slightly more gentle pace!  We left just before 0800 and arrived around 1115.

The weather was perfect for cycling: clear skies, light winds and not too hot.  The temperature seemed to drop quite a bit once we'd set up camp at the Carpenters Arms in Windsor!  We then cycled to Slough to catch the train back to Reading.

You can see our Twitter updates (including location) by following #bbcm2modcycle.  (I'll post a map of our route & times later today).

Will Write Limericks for Donations

I write limericks for OEDILF in my spare time (my name there is neilski). Here's a plea for donations:

Though it's years since I've ridden a bike,
It's an exercise form that I like.
So some colleagues and I
Are all planning to try
To get fit, and raise cash, in one strike.

We'll be cycling 65 miles
By the river, through gates, across stiles,
Over bumps where we'll yelp;
For we're trying to Help
All those Heroes who're back on these isles.

So I ask you to make a donation
To aid those in a worse situation.
There are just nineteen days
Till we ride, so it pays
To examine this website location:

http://bbcm2modcycle.blogspot.com

Training run

Well looks like we are finally getting there, this weekend we have a training run from Reading to Windsor along the Thames Path. Start at 0730 and expect to finish a little after 1100

Welcome

Thanks for taking the time to visit our blog in support of Help for Heroes.

Everyone knows the fantastic job our service personnel do in extremely difficult conditions. Many of them are now being wounded in the line of duty and are often the unsung heroes of Her Majesty's forces campaigning overseas.

Over coffee one day a few of us were discussing the tremendous contribution the village of Wootton Bassett gives in paying respects to those heroes who pay the ultimate price to ensure the freedom of others, and we all decided we would like to raise some money for their injured colleagues.

Our team of 6 includes 2 ex-servicemen, a reservist, an MoD civil servant and a BBCM colleague who works on the MoD customer relationship. Given Monitoring's business support to the MoD, and therefore indirectly to frontline forces, we thought it appropriate to sponsor this good cause, thus allowing us all the opportunity to give personally.

While we are not able to mount a large-scale expedition to raise huge amounts for this worthy cause we nevertheless wanted to make a contribution by suffering the rigours of riding in excess of 60 miles in one day by riding on cycles from Caversham Park to MOD Main Building on Whitehall.

So please dig deep and donate now through our Just Giving page, http://www.justgiving.com/BBCM2MODCycle/, and remember to tick the gift aid option to maximise the amounts raised for this worthwhile cause by getting the taxman to join in too!