A practice ride

The students at the Warrington Campus were doing a charity ride from the Chester Campus back to the Warrington Campus. I decided to tag along, I thought it would be good practice. It was the first really long ride on my new bike. It was really windy on the way to Chester, which made it a lot harder, but at least the ride back was relatively easy. Andy Nixon, my colleague from the Warrington Campus came along and I was glad of the company. We had to be at the Chester Campus for 9.30am. Some students had very kindly offered to film the event, which was interesting for them and us. It felt really odd being in front of rather than behind the camera. When I get nervous I giggle, I know it's immature but nah nanana nah.
We did a short interview at the beginning of the ride, then a couple of others a little later on. I have definitely got a face for radio. There is one sequence when I am waiting to be interviewed and I am chewing a chocolate bar....I look like a camel chewing grass. I am never going to eat in public again. I've not put that shot in the video for the website...but I could be persuaded, just to give you a laugh...or make you sick. We were both knackered but Andy still managed to look cool, how does he do it? Maybe it's the shades, when I wear them I look like a hit man from Mothercare.
Halfway home we stopped at a public toilet, which was a clean modern building and looked highly respectable. Andy was looking after the bikes while I went into the loo first.It was more crowded than some of the pubs I've been in on a Sunday afternoon. Perhaps they had a special offer on....two for a penny. It was like a George Michael Video. I felt very vulnerable, stood there dressed in Lycra mid wee, which never seemed to end. Andy went in talking loudly about his wife and child....just so that the message was clear.
We continued on our merry way....sorry, we rode off in the rain relieved in more ways than one and managed to finish the ride about an hour later. I felt really good after about four hours riding, which is a good sign. If the weather had been better I could have easily done the ride again, which would have matched my expected daily riding distance once I start the journey in America. I understand that it will be a daily routine, which will be hard, but I am expecting that. I know it will be a psychological as well a psychical test of character.
My eldest son who is in the army is on a promotion course at the moment. I know that he is being 'beasted' constantly. He can put up with the pain, it's the will to continue that is hard. I have discussed it with him at length and he has prepared for it, but it is only when you are at that level of exhaustion that you can decide if you have the will to carry on. He has done so far and I am very proud of him. I will obviously reach that stage at some point. He will be my inspiration and I can only hope that I can mirror his achievement......only time will tell.....and you will be there to see it, whatever happens.