London to Paris 2016 - Part Three
After last month’s eventful bike ride, which saw our team of riders face punctures, flooded country lanes and lose contact lenses, all four guys were in agreement that they needed a lot more practise before starting their 500km journey to Paris in May!
Who, What and Why?
When a close family member of Lawrie’s was diagnosed with Myeloma in 2012, he had never heard of Myeloma. Since then Lawrie has learned more about the cancer and become a keen supporter of Myeloma UK.
He decided to enlist the support of his friends and colleagues Marcus Maisey, Mark Peddle, Nic Kamintzis, Mark Lemon, Matt McParland and Neil Hutchinson to take part in the 2016 London to Paris Ride in May. Collectively they are aiming to raise £10,000 to enable ongoing research into Myeloma.
Team Ride #2
A few days before Christmas Marcus, Lawrie, Mark and Mark Lemon set off on a 47 mile ride. Unfortunately Nic was forced to sit this ride out, as he had not yet got around to cleaning his bike from the first team ride, in mid November.
The guys managed an impressive speed of 14.3mph on their early morning cycle through Hertfordshire. Their energy levels and spirits were boosted at a mid way stop in Redbourn where they treated themselves to hot chocolates, cakes, brownies and in Mark Peddle’s case a game changing Millionaire Shortbread; which reportedly made him feel like a billionaire giving him the strength to complete the ride.
Compared to the last group ride where there were multiple punctures and bike malfunctions this ride was a breeze. The only slight glitch came from Marcus’ new tyres, which despite assurances that they were puncture proof, from a salesman at a local bike shop who shall remain nameless, Marcus still managed to pick up a puncture.
The confidence in the team was at an all time high. Not including Nic, who was still contemplating cleaning his bike.
Then along came Christmas, New Year celebrations and a whole lot of Turkey!
A great Christmas was had by all, which inevitably meant lots of food and drink was consumed. The season of indulgence and the realisation that the ride is fast approaching seems to have spurred our riders on.
Lawrie, Mark and Marcus have begun a January diet, alongside some of their colleagues at KDW. So far this has involved a weekly weigh in, salads, carb cutting and relentless discussions about food - from who has the healthiest salad to who is missing bread the most!
Naturally their January diet has a competitive side to it. The original plan was the dieter who lost the least percentage of their body weight by 24th March, was to treat the other dieters to a slap up meal at the local steak house. However the team quickly changed their minds and decided it would be a much better idea for the person who loses the least amount of body weight to make a £100 donation to the teams fundraising page.
Collectively they have lost a total of 17lbs so far, check back next month to see how much they’ve lost! While there hasn’t been another group bike ride since before Christmas each of our riders have undergone varying degrees of training...
Marcus
Marcus has been the most active with his training, going on 6 solo rides since Christmas. He has been forced to ride solo as his teammates have declined his many invitations to join him...due to the wet weather.
However Marcus hasn’t let the rain hold him back, with his biggest ride so far taking him on a 51 mile route through flooded roads that were about 45cm deep!
Despite this he managed an impressive 15.6mph, which places him in his speed group for the London to Paris ride.
Lawrie
Lawrie was so motivated by the pre Christmas ride that he went out by himself for a 30.9 mile ride in between Christmas and New Year. Fuelled by an extra stone of holiday weight, Lawrie managed to maintain an average speed of 15.4mph.
However he hasn’t yet been out on another ride, not because he doesn’t want to but because Lawrie is averse to cycling in the rain. For those rainy days Lawrie has become a proud member of his local gym and is fast becoming a regular, putting in two appearances there in the last 4 weeks.
Mark
Since Christmas Mark has been working on his fitness, and has taken up running 10kms, 3 – 4 times a week.
Nic
As mentioned earlier in this post, Nic’s training has been hindered slightly by the fact he still has not cleaned or repaired his bike from the November ride. He has however participated in two 45 minute spin classes and most impressively, stuck to his new year’s resolution and has been a non smoker since the 1st January.
What Next?
With just 15 weeks to go until the main event, the team have decided they need to up their game. They will be cycling to Bison Hill near Whipsnade. Make sure you check back next month to see how they got on!
At KDW we will also be stepping up our fundraising efforts to ensure that we reach our £10,000 target for Myeloma UK.
If you are interested in sponsoring then you should probably know that the Marcus, Lawrie, Mark and Nic have said ‘they will wear anything, even a tutu, for the right donation’.
To make your donation and suggest an outfit for the boys to wear then please visit the Justgiving KDW page to make a donation.