Intro

A couple of years ago, my nephew Ben was born with Cystic Fibrosis, one of the UK's most common life-threatening inherited diseases which affects over 9000 people in the UK, including five new babies every week. It affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, clogging them with thick sticky mucus which makes it hard to breathe and digest food.

To raise funds for the CF Trust, I took on the Nightrider 2012 challenge, a 100km cycle ride through London at night! and raised over £1600.


I'm now tackling the Oxford to Cambridge bike ride in September 2013, this time for the British Heart Foundation, another charity that means a lot to me.


I'd be very grateful if you would sponsor me for this challenge at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rew. All funds raised go to charity.


Sunday, 10 June 2012

Done It

Wow, what an amazing night!

I've completed the Nightrider 2012 challenge, and I have the medal to prove it (and aching legs!).
We started from Ally Pally at 12.55am (shortly after Princess Eugenie - see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2157110/Princess-Eugenie-completes-gruelling-63-MILE-overnight-charity-cycle-ride.html).

The weather couldn't have been better - mild, calm and clear skies.  You could see the whole of London from the start point, which was both fascinating and scary!  The first bit was briefly downhill, followed shortly by the first of the three major climbs.

It didn't seem long before we were going through Camden and then the West End, just before 2am.  The bright lights, noise, traffic and general merriment were unbelievable.  Adding 3000 cyclists into the mix (not all at the same time) created some great traffic jams and some "witty" banter with the revellers.

I'll cut a long story short, but we crossed the river three times (with some great views) before heading down to Crystal Palace and the second of the major climbs.

Coming back up we did the east of London, including a break stop by Tower Bridge:


After crossing the bridge we did a deserted City and Canary Wharf before heading back up to Ally Pally via a bunch of other places.

By about 5am we were cycling in sunshine - we really couldn't have asked for better weather!

The final climb back up to the finish line was tough, but we made it and finished a few minutes after 7am.

Total statistics:
  • Distance: 106km (66 miles)
  • Cycling time: 4 hours 57 minutes
  • Total time: 6 hours 13 minutes
  • Moving average: 21.3 kph
  • Overall average: 17.0kph
The traffic in the west end really slowed us down, along with all the junctions, but we did pretty well!

Back at the finish line, the medals were given out and we enjoyed the sunshine and the daytime view over London:


All in all, a fantastic experience and more importantly thanks to your donations I've raised £1250 for CF Trust, plus gift aid to take it up nearly £1500 and I have a few pledges from people still to add.

So, thank you all for your support, both financial and emotional!

And now to sleep...
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1 comment:

  1. Chris10 June 2012 at 13:59

    Well done Richard. Top result and a reward for all those training rides. Reading this I hadn't considered the busy west end revelry factor. Sounds like you may as well have riden around in Rush Hour. Still, it kept you awake I guess :-)

    So it's London to Paris next :-) ???

    Again, great result and a job well done.

    Chris Holcroft

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