Supporting New Forest Cycling Club on a D-Day Ride

I have been lucky enough to have my own mechanic (AKA my husband Barry) to mend my punctures of which I had two whilst doing the Heavy Metal Truants Ride- but luckily whilst not out cycling.

Barry also helped me with my IT -uploading my rides on Garmin and Strava and creating my progress chart.  Barry also accompanied me on a 25 mile ride, and got the dinner ready on a couple of occasions whilst I was out cycling, so it only seemed fair to help Barry out today.

Barry is the cycle coach for New Forest Cycling Club and today was leading the club on a 200+km ride around 16 D-Day sites in the New Forest.

So I volunteered to be the support car.  I met the cyclists at the start point before 7am so that could drop off bags of clothing, food, drinks bottles etc.

The cyclists set off at 7am and I went home to prepare for refreshment stops.

The first one was at Stoney Cross to provide water to top up their bottles and give out Flapjacks that I'd made.

Once back home I started baking scones and and some savoury flapjacks for a refreshment stop at our house around 3pm.

I'd already made some cakes earlier in the week that I'd frozen.

After this pit stop, I started making some savoury muffins to give the cyclists a change from sweet foods and these were just coming out of the oven as they arrived for the end of the ride.

I say the end, but some cyclist still needed to cycle home (or in a few cases do extra km's - one cyclist did over 300km today!)

The cyclist very generously donated to my Heavy Metal Truants sponsorship fund which now stands at a whopping £682.10

UPDATE The NFCC Sunday ride stopped by to support me at the end of their ride and helped to finish up the cakes! Thanks to their generosity, my fundraising total has increased to £727

Thank you to each and every one of you for sponsoring me.

If you wish to sponsor me, you can do so here.

A few people have asked me for my flapjack recipe, so I will share it here.  It is based on a Riverford recipe.

Carrot & Banana Flapjack

Vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free carrots cake from Riverford🥕 🥕

Recipe

1 cup soft seedless dates or soft apricots

Pinch of salt 

1 ripe banana 

1/4 cup coconut oil (approx 50 g) melted

1 cup rolled oat 

1 cup shredded coconut and/or walnuts/sunflower seeds

Approximately 4 grated carrots 

Cinnamon -optional

Put  dates/apricots in a  food processor to chop (or cut with scissors/knife into small pieces)

Add bananas and blend until smooth (or mash with a fork)

Put oats into a mixing bowl.  Add all the other ingredients.

Mix it together and press into a baking tray. 

Cook at 200 degrees for 20 mins. 

Allow to cool and then cut when cool.

Note 

The mixture probably would fill a 7” square or equivalent tin. 

I double the recipe to fill a bigger baking tin, but do not double to dates/apricots as with the carrots and banana it is still sweet.

Thank you for reading this and for your support, encouragement and sponsorship.

Julie x

Heavy Metal Truants Ride 10

Today was my final ride for the Heavy Metal Truants virtual charity bike ride and the last day of the ride for everyone.

I had 13 miles to do today and was gratefully accompanied once again by my friends Corinne and Duncan.

We set off for Sandy Down and then headed to Boldre.  We stopped by Boldre church to take off a layer of clothing after warming up climbing a hill.

We cycled to Pilley and then to Norleywood.

After East Boldre, we cycled past Hatchet Pond and decided to stop for a photo opportunity. As ususal, there were a plethora or ponies and donkeys here.

On the road back to Brockenhurst I noticed that I had passed the 13 mile mark which meant that I had cycled 175 miles since starting this challenge.

As we cycled past The Pig, a vehicle and trailer overtook us but cut in too early and nearly took poor Corinne out! Thankfully Corinne anticipated this and managed to stop.

We got back to Corinne and Duncan's house, thankfully in tact.

After thanking Duncan and Corinne for their company, I went and emptied the aluminium recycling bin and headed home.

As I got near my road, I noticed that I was on 19 miles for the day so decided to make it to at least 20 miles.

I was rewarded by seeing lots of ponies, foals and a Highland cattle.

So I have now cycled the equivalent distance from Alexandra Palace to Donington.

As I said on my sponsorship form, I have always been a reluctant cyclist, but I think I now have the cycling bug.

I have really enjoyed this challenge and really wish that I was fit enough and had the health to complete it in the allotted 12 days

But on the plus side, I am fitter and have enjoyed learning routes on the Forest roads that I didn't know. I think I've lost a few much needed pounds too.

I really want to keep on cycling and continue to get fitter.

Thank you to each and every one of you for sponsoring me, for your encouragement and for reading my blogs.

I set my target for £175 and have been overwhelmed by your generosity.  I am currently on £590  - more than in my wildest dreams!

There will be one last blog written over the weekend as I am involved with a cycling activity (but I won't be cycling for this one)!

Thank you for reading this and following me on this challenge

Julie x

 

Ride 9 Heavy Metal Truants Charity Ride

With my youngest sister still with me and it being a Bank Holiday Monday, we got up and made an early start for our bike ride today.

We started off doing a tour of Brockenhurst to get a (safe distanced) view of a newborn donkey.

We then headed to Sway, Boldre, Pilley,  Norleywood and East End. The crocheted message of "Hope' on the Pilley postbox was very apt!

We took a detour to the beach at the end of Tanners Lane, as I had never been down there before. We enjoyed a flapjack and a drink and a chat with another cyclist.

We enjoyed riding down the quiet country roads through St Leonards, towards Bucklers Hard, listening to the birds.

During our ride we saw Blackbirds, Buzzards, Sparrows, Robins, Swifts, Goldfinch, Swans, Cote, Moorhen, Pheasants, Black Headed Gulls, Mistle Thrush, Crows, Dragonfly, Wagtail, Pipits and Chaffinch. We hears Chiffchaff, Mediterranean Gull, Skylarks and Song Thrush.

There was another donkey foal in East Boldre. 

We stopped at Hatchet Moor for a drink and enjoyed watching Dragonfly over the water lilies and seeing a pair of swans with their signets.

The roads were quite busy busy this stage, so we decided to ride back via the trails.

What really helped me through the miles today was knowing that, with your great support and sponsorship,  I have already raised a whopping £535! Knowing that for every mile I cycle I am raising over £3 per mile is a great incentive to me, and I thank each an every one of you for sponsoring me. If you haven't sponsored me. yet, you can do so here .

Today we cycles 28.55 miles

That takes me to Ashby de la Zouch.

Only 13 miles to go to get me to Donington by Friday!

Thank you for reading this.

Julie x

Ride 8 Heavy Metal Truants IX Charity Bike Ride

On Saturday evening  I went for a bike ride with my sister Sue who is currently staying with me.  We had a leisurely ride around the roads and trails in my local area.

Soon after we started we had a New Forest road block with ponies across the trail. This little foal was a bit skitty, so we passed slowly.

It started to get busy! 

We then had a then a traffic jam!

The trail through the woods was quiet.

There was a nice reflection on the river.

There were still a few bluebells out.

We saw Robins, blue tits, Blackbirds, Mistle Thrush and heard Chiffchaff, Cuckoo and Song Thrush.

We caught sight of a deer camouflaged in the woods.

We did just over 10 miles. 

That takes me to Leicester.

Only 40.9 miles to go!

Thank you for reading my Blog

Julie x

  

Ride 7 Heavy metal Truant IX Virtual Charity Bike Ride

Today (Monday 24th. May) was a day of showers and my attempt to dodge them wasn't wholly successful! I wasn't feeling my best either.

It was also the first proper day of the Heavy Metal Truants ride  (for those with better fitness and health than me!)  My thoughts were with my Truant buddies today, especially with it being a showery and cold day - the temperature 'real feel'. here was only 6 degrees!

As I set out on my ride and saw some ponies and a foal.

I had a good view of a buzzard at one point.  

The sky was dramatic, but thankfully it was dry at this point.

There were lots of cows about.  One was really pretty, but it wasn't safe for me to stop and take a closer photo.

As I headed back towards Brockenhurst, the heavens opened. But this pony and her Starling friends didn't seem to mind!

As I got back home, the worst of the rain had eased, but it didn't feel much like May.  But I know that with every pedal stroke that I do, with your fantastic support and sponsorship,  I am raising money for 4 great children's charities - Teenage Cancer Trust, Nordoff Robbins, Childline and Save the Children.

A bit of cold and rain and sore legs and sore bum is nothing compared to what some children have to cope with each and every day.

Knowing that I have now reached £345 in sponsorship is a great incentive and I thank each and everyone of your you for your sponsorship. Knowing that for every miles that I cycle, nearly £2 goes to these great charities helps me on my way. Thank you.

If you haven’t sponsored me yet, but wish to, you can do so here.

I clocked up 10.34 miles today.

Barry has calculated that I am now in Lutterworth.

Only 51.3 miles to go by 4th June

Thank you for reading this

Julie x

Ride 6 - Heavy Metal Truants IX Charity Virtual Bike Ride

I had a busy week last week that culminated on Friday (which is usually a cycling day for me) in assisting Barry in replacing our shed roof!

I did over 7000 steps in the garden being Barry's Gofer/climbing ladders over a 9 hour period and was exhausted by the end of the day!

The ME fatigue lasted a few days so yesterday was the first day back on the bike where I did a 3 mile round trip to meet friends for a walk.  But I forgot to record it, so I’m not counting those cycle miles.

I am always motivated by knowing that each mile that I cycle will help 4 great children’s charities - The Teenage Cancer Trust, Childline, Nordoff Robbins and Save the Children. But this morning I received extra motivation in a sponsorship that took me over £300! So thank you to each and every one of your for your sponsorship.

If you haven’t done so already, you can sponsor me here.

Today, I planned a bike ride and a catch up with my friend Nerissa as we hadn’t seen each other for a few months, so I set off on the trails to the outskirts of Lyndhurst to meet her.

This route took me through the bluebell woods that I  visited on rides 2 and 5 and were pleased to see that they are now  out more.

The trees, especially the beech trees, are looking beautiful.

I met Nerissa and we headed back down the trails to Blackwater, did a loop of the arboretum and cycled back along the roads toward Brockenhurst, where we saw some lovely Highland cattle.

Retracting my initial route, we cycled back through the bluebell woods where we stopped for a drink and a snack whilst enjoying the bluebells and then headed back to Lyndhurst.

Nerissa peeled off for the school pick-up and I cycled round the one way system to eventually join another trail that leads back to Brockenhurst via a different route.

Thank you Nerissa for your company and helping the miles fly by whilst we chatted.

Despite it clouding over, the weather stayed dry and I cycled into Brockenhurst to empty my aluminium recycling bin before heading home.

This ride was a total of 21.79 miles.

So Barry has calculated that I have followed the Grand Union Canal from Northampton and I’m now in Crick.

Only 61.6 miles to go!

Thank you for reading this.

Julie x