THE FINAL MORNING

We woke up early for an 8.30am start knowing that a few of the hardcore drinkers had stayed up until very late so we expected top leave at 9 am.

I knocked on some of the hotel bedroom doors and entered, well, I've seen some sights and smells in my time but a bunch of guys after 55 miles then a curry then countless beers it was something I can only discuss with my therapist!!

The last to arise was Mark, our recycling bin, who was desperate to eat yet again after his sausage and chips which he had eaten at 2.30am in the morning. The sweat on his brow was pure alcohol and the thought of the short bike ride of 28 miles to Bath really didn't have anyone shuddering in their Lycra but I know after the previous nights' curry I needed to be at the front of the Peloton!!!

It was a pleasant ride on the Sunday morning as the sun was shining and the terrain really was much more pleasant, the Caen Hill locks is a sight to behold with the 43 locks down the hill. No one struggled whatsoever and we made Bath by lunchtime, the baguette shop at Bath spa station did a roaring trade with 19 riders hungry after a busy night before!

We were very lucky to be able to have SLOUGH INTERNATIONAL HAULAGE who supplied a free lorry to collect the 20 bikes from Bath to return them to Henley On Thames as British Rail refused us to take 20 bikes on the train for health and safety reasons, don't you just love public transport. It got even better with British Rail , we sat on the station with tired legs waiting for the 1.45pm train which was now delayed by 30 minutes for "Technical " reasons, could there be any other reason or was it too early in the season for leaves on the line or frozen tracks!!!!!

Then when we eventually boarded the train at 2.15 pm for the hours journey, we had to stand due to a packed train. I have to say I was dreaming of that hours train journey sitting in a seat sleeping but now with my nose firmly pushed into Bradley's armpit I knew it was going to be a long hour!!!!

So at 3pm we all arrived at Reading station to go home for a shower then onto the Maltsters Arms to have some food (supplied by that lovely pub) and drink and tell our family and friends our stories of the weekend.

I have to say it was a trip to remember and we are still collecting more, I think we are over £11,000 and its a BIG THANK YOU to the 19 riders that joined me for a ride which i will never forget, not just because of my great sister but the camaraderie of all the guys.

THANK YOU - ALL

THE EVENING'S ENTERTAINMENT

The evening kicked off with 10 of us commandeering a local bus with the sign "OUT OF SERVICE", but no few of the mad group decided to flag the bus down, get on it and gave him some cash (to take his wife for a drink) and he gladly said "Yes" and saved us an enormous cost of 3 taxis!!

It then went from bad to worse in the curry house, when our waiter asked us for the drinks order the reply was 19 pints of Cobra lager that's 2 and a half gallons if you're still imperial and 1 orange juice (Jonathan doesn't drink).

Daryl took the Bucket round to every table and didn't have a failure due to his magnificent Torso.

As you can imagine we drank a barrel, ate our curry, paid the bill and then informed the waiters that we had put their £40 tip into the charity bucket. Oh Dear!!!!

Then we departed into the high street in our green T-shirts & with our charity buckets in hand.

Now if you can recall, Ed who had taken the last 20 miles in a BMW X5 due to breaking a fingernail, had to pay a penance therefore a branded Macmillan green mankini. Fair play to the guy, he stripped naked, put the mankini on and then we followed him round a packed Wetherspoons with the bouncer and the girls were wanting photos with him at a cost of course!!

The next pub we arrived at (this is now 11pm) and I was standing at the bar ordering the drinks for the boys when this rather scary looking skinhead fellow looks at me, his whole face & head face covered in tattoos literally and said "Wot u Doing?" nervously, I replied that we were collecting for Macmillan as my sister had passed away recently. He said that his mum had died last year of cancer so he stuck a fiver in the bucket then said "Give me the bucket I`ll get it filled for you", so we followed him round in our shirts and you really wouldn't have said No to him so extortion just for the one night and it is a great cause.
We got home very late and counted the money the next day and we had raised £550 just in the pubs of Devizes.

So THANK YOU to all for that

HITTING THE WALL

Ive heard of this expression 'Hitting the wall' on a marathon, but only ever done it drinking beer, but I think I hit the wall on Saturday after about 45 miles when the next checkpoint never seemed to appear around the next bend, the wet grass and muddy ruts were making pace very slow and my legs even heavier, but James & Simon kept me going not through rippling conversation that had disappeared for the moment until we could reach our destiny.
We had some interesting injuries en route with Tony (our tall man of the group) that managed to headplant into an overhanging branch which took him off his bike, resulting injury was hole in his helmet and the knock sadly didn't knock any sense into him as he's still a Man Utd fan.
We managed to have one injury which put Ed in the support vehicle and sadly he never made Devizes on his bike but in the back of Scottys BMW X5 ,OH What a luxury.
Darryl our Chris Hoy of the group managed to hit a Dalmatian at 20mph which caused him to brake hard and over he went on the handlebars with resulting bleeding leg and broken right brake on his bike, I know you're more interested in the health of the dog and yes he was fine, just got a few spots knocked off him(terrible joke!!!!)

So by 4pm we had all arrived at Wadsworth brewery with 2 exceptions one in an X5 with injured knee and Mark still on the route doing his own pace and stopping every 15 minutes for fag and chat with New Age travellers living on canal boats. He eventually arrived to applause from the rest of us that were on our 4th pint.

Next Installment THE EVENING ENTERTAINMENT

WE MADE IT!!!!!

Well wot a weekend of blood, sweat and Mankinis!

I couldn't believe the atmosphere on Friday evening the night before the event, a real buzz after all the training with the legs and the right hand (hand for drinking that is).
Surprisingly I managed to lock my pub up at 11.15 which was a miracle in itself and probably a first.
So, we all met up on Saturday morning at 6.30am at Reading station (Even Keith turned up on time relatively) wearing the green of Macmillan T-Shirts all looking rather dapper and getting lots of looks by Saturday morning train spotters, but it didn't last long as no sooner did we leave than it started to hiss down but it didn't dampen the atmosphere plus the terrain was really very gentle.
Our first checkpoint was at Thatcham Station where our support vehicle with Helen & Richard were waiting with water & Mars bars. Then to our luck whilst replenishing fluids a stunning Steam train passed us with that wonderful choo choo sound, the other sound was of Ed discussing his chain with our gadget man Simon who managed to fix it temporarily.
So off we went into the distance to follow the canal as the sun started to come through the clouds and destroy the appalling forecast made by the BBC saying it would rain all day. The field was starting to spread out in the second leg to little Bedwyn as the terrain started to deteriorate as were some of the riders legs getting heavier, but we all managed to meet up with the support vehicle again who had surprised us all with bacon rolls which were devoured as each guy turned up.
We were now 32 miles in and faces were now a little sweaty and the fear of the next 23 miles on grass and ruts really had me worrying over the back markers, but hey it was never a race but a Charity Fundraiser.
Right, I can't spend my whole day on a computer must go and see my beloved punters

Be back with the rest of the story later...............

Peter

FINAL TRAINING!!!!!

Well Folks that's it!!! We had our last training session in the dark woods of Stoke Row last night with Simon Jarvis and his Techno mega expensive cycle lights looking like a landing strip at Heathrow, but it certainly was an illuminated moment!!!
Kevin was impressed with Simon's regular update, with the quote "its easy from here on in" as we climbed another steep hill. In fact, I thought Kevin was taking his bike for a walk at one point (only joking Kevin).
I have been amazed by the romantic stories of some guys excuses for not coming for some training, from putting up a new shed for the wife because "I've bought her a new mower" to those that are betrothed and are still trying to keep loved ones happy and our RBS bankers who can't find anyone to ride with just in case they ask for a loan again!!!!
Ed & James' company stumped up £250 yesterday and we have just broken the £5,000 barrier today on the main website, without others' Justgiving website, so we are heading towards £8,000 hoping to crack £10,000 when everyones sponsorship comes in .
Dont forget your Vaseline & Energy bars tomorrow (not to be taken orally at the same time) and for the ex copper (who retired at 49 through hard work and was given a commendation for retrieving a dog once!) we will have Mars Bars in the support vehicle and plenty of water. The other copper who is great & still working at the Met does actually arrest people, "Nick, can you deal with my speeding fine????"....

See you all tomorrow


Your Beloved Landlord

THE MEN OF THE MALSTERS ARMS

Well guys, 3 days to go before the epic journey through numerous counties en route to the oasis of the Wadsworth Brewery on Saturday afternoon hopefully.

I decided to do this ride with Simon Jarvis (he's the mountain bike freak with the equivalent formula 1 bike). His bike is worth more than my van but you can't lie down in the back of his bike!!!!

Anyway, after the initial decision to ride, it sort of snowballed into more of a "Tour de France" field with now 20 riders all looking as Louis Armstrong, No!!!! I meant to say Lance Armstrong!!!!

A few guys that work in the corporate field have purchased bikes on the "ride to work" scheme but I haven't seen them riding to work, in fact, more likely to see an honest Pakistani Test Team than James and Ed cycling to Oxford to work.

There have been a few purchase of extra equipment, Ipods to avoid conversation with Bankers and Hedge Fund Managers, expensive tight Lycra to show of Ed's imminent pregnancy or investment in beer (unsure) and couldn't forget Mark's latest Carbon Fibre Streamline Ashtray to connect to the handlebars.

Training has been going well for those that have been leaving and returning to the pub as I have seen a great increase in the sales of Peroni !!!!!!!!

Terribly thirst quenching this mountain biking!

Enough from me for now

Peter - your beloved Landlord

A group of "Old Blokes" from the Maltsters Arms are dusting off their bikes and squeezing into the Lycra........

We're riding the Kennet & Avon canal towpath to Bath, passing through the beautiful towns of Newbury and Hungerford staying overnight in Devizes and then on to Bath on Day Two. If time permits we will spend an hour or two at the Wadsworth Brewery on Saturday afternoon to sooth our saddle sores with sole local beers.
On Sunday we start the day with a great downhill run past the Caen Hill Locks and into the rolling countryside of Wiltshire, crossing some great viaducts as we roll onwards into Somerset and the outskirts of Bath.
The ride finishes where the canal meets the River Avon, right outside Bath Station where we jump on a train back to Reading.

"That doesn't sound too hard!!!!!!" We hear you say. Well...........

The total mileage is around 83 miles, with approximately 55 miles on Saturday and 28 on Sunday. While that mileage may not seem too great, the entire route is unpaved, downright rough in places and a good deal more challenging than riding the route on the road.

There is also a BIG climb over the 173foot Cleveland Tunnel as we approach Devizes............

Please sponsor us......
http://www.justgiving.com/MaltstersArms

About the charity: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/ We just want to raise some money for this worthy cause!!!!!!!