Day 3 (continued) - The Finish Line!!

Photo 17: Cycling over the Slieve Bloom Mountains

Photo 18: Jason recording his personal best average time

Photo 19: Our team at the finish line ... 500 miles done!

The second half of day 3 had some more challenging climbs but the number of teams around us was thinning as we found ourselves amongst the leading vans. We all had some good rides and several times found other riders to slip stream which definitely helped keep a fast pace going as you were getting tired towards the end of a ride.

My fourth ride started half way up a big climb. Rich had done the first half towards the end of his ride and we weren't sure how much more there was to reach the top. It was a long climb with some really steep sections which you had to get out of the saddle for. The top had some fantastic views across the countryside and I had a long decent all the way down!

Paul did his next ride then Jason. Rich was out next and going well until he skidded off at a roundabout doing a right turn. Rich got up quickly and carried on but the roads were all very wet now and it looked like we'd been lucky and missed the storm but in missing it we hadn't appreciated how wet and slippery the roads had become.

The mileage in the last round was hard to judge as the course didn't take a direct route to the finish line, presumably as they needed to do some extra miles to get to the 500 total. Rich did the last solo ride and his gear cable snapped so he could only get to half his gears. We stopped the van a couple of miles away from the finish line and we all then joined him on the bikes for the last ride in.

It was a beautiful feeling coming in. It had been a hard 3 days cycling but a lot of great scenery and while we were all tired we knew we'd raised a lot of money for charity. Another Challenge complete!!

Day 3 - Galway to Blessington (190 miles)

Photo 14: Colin wearing green for the final day in Ireland

Photo 15: Cyclists bunched up into a pack.

Photo 16: Paul finishing a ride and Jason just about to start.

Breakfast on day 3 opened at 6:30 and teams were in a variable state as they rolled in. Some like us had had an early night after a good meal. Some had carried on clubbing and partying until late and there was a suggestion that the 'Dorset Diva's' should be renamed the 'Disco Diva's'!

I was the first one out and after a few minutes to get the legs warmed up I was feeling pretty good. Some teams had driven out the first 10 miles as it was going to be a long day and the marshalls were recommending going by car for a bit to save some time. We decided we'd give it a go on the bikes the whole way as we knew our team were pretty quick.

The roads were all very narrow to start with so passing cyclists in the van was a challenge. We caught Dave Fitt in Team Amicus heading off in the wrong direction at one point as he'd missed an arrow. Fortunately we were close enough in the van to spot the mistake catch him up and then turn back round to go after our rider. My second ride of the day was a fast one and for the last 10 minutes I found myself with two other cyclists and we were able take it in turns slip streaming each other.

A long pelaton had formed as some of the teams were bunching up just behind us. The pelaton was moving pretty quickly but gradually dispersed as people came to the end of their rides. I started the third round of rides and then Paul was out next. We were averaging 10 miles per ride with each ride 30 minutes so Pauls' ride took us passed the 95 mile mark which was half way for the final day!

Day 2 (continued)

Photo 11: Roadside lunch prepared by one of the teams.

Photo 12: Team visit to the Cliffs of Moher.

Photo 13: Rich pedalling hard towards the end of the day.

We came off the ferry and Paul went out first. There was driving wind and rain which made it hard work and doubly hard for the Chrome Domes with their strange looking bike. Jason was out next then Rich and the weather was beginning to brighten up so they had some fun rides. I was out next and I'd only been on the bike for a couple of minutes when I saw a group by the side of the road waving us in for an impromptu lunch stop. The lunch was laid on by one of the teams and they had plenty of bread, different cheeses, ham and wine.

We took a quick team break and then headed off again. The stop had taken us out of the main pack of cyclists and the road was surprisingly quiet. The van passed me twice and then it went completely quiet - no cyclists, no vans and when I came to the T junction in the town no signs either! I assumed I'd taken a wrong turn and stopped in the town and rang Jason's cellphone. They weren't sure where I was so assuming I'd missed a sign we got Paul out onto the road as the next cyclist. I got Jason to switch on Latitude on his phone so we could see each others GPS location and I then headed down the road to find them. The heavens opened again so I stopped a little way out of town and gave them another call to check where they were. I couldn't get through to Jason but a couple of minutes later Paul passed me on the road so we realised they were behind me and they soon drove and caught me up.

The skies were beginning to clear now and the sun was out as we passed the half way mark of the challenge. We were all having some great rides and enjoying the change in the weather although the cross-wind was still quite strong in places. As we came towards the end of Jason's ride we saw the signposts for the Cliffs of Moher so we decided to have a team break and take a look. The Cliffs were spectacular and we had a good walk along the top and then headed back to the van and Rich set off for the next leg. After Rich finished we had one last round of rides each and some more spectacular coastal roads. On my last ride I came round one corner to find a bull in the middle of the road and I wasn't sure if he was going to let me past! Rich did the last push into Galway and we then parked up at the hotel and headed into town to find some food.

Day 2 - Killarney to Galway (141 miles)

Photo 8: Paul getting ready for the first cycle of the day.

Photo 9: Chrome Domes preparing their bike for the coastal road.

Photo 10: Shannon Ferry packed with vans from the Challenge!

Alarms went off at 06:00 for day 2 which isn't bad. Day 2 was going to be a race for the ferry and as expected a lot of teams were down at breakfast when it opened at 6:30. We set off from the hotel at 7 o'clock with the sun just starting to come up. The ground was very wet from the night but it wasn't raining yet although the forecast was for some rough weather. As we headed out from the hotel Paul took the first ride and we set off in the van following. There was a small right turn off the main road which Paul spotted but we didn't see from the van. When we hit the next roundabout and there were no arrows we knew we'd taken a wrong turn and headed back. You don't realise how fast a bike actually is until you're chasing one to try and catch-up and it took us another 10 minutes to get back to Paul.

Jason was up next and he had the full works - the heaviest rain, the muddiest roads, a big steep climb and a road full of cows going to the milking shed!. Feeling sorry for Jason we left him on the bike until he got to the top of the hill which he seemed to appreciate. Rich went out next and then I took the last ride to the ferry across the Shannon. We thought it was about 10 miles to go but it turned out to be 17 so I had a slightly longer ride. We'd just missed the ferry so we had quite a long wait for the next one but it meant we were at the front of the queue and by the time we boarded there were lots of other teams with us so we'd have a fun ride the other side. We also had a chance to see the Chrome Domes new bike for the challenge which you can see in the photos.

Day 1 (Continued)

Photo 5: View from the Pass of Keimaneigh.

Photo 6: Some teams were easier to spot than others.

Photo 7: Cycling over Coomakesta Pass.

The rain was on and off during the first round of rides. When it did rain it was pretty heavy and by the time you'd dried out in the van it was time to hop on the bike again for another ride. During the second round we lost Paul! Jason set off as the next rider up and Rich and I were waiting on the side of the road for Paul. We waited and waited, and for 10 minutes there was no sign of riders, vans or Paul. At that point we were getting worried so we tried Paul's cellphone thinking he might have had a puncture. No reply. We waited another couple of minutes and we were just about to head back to find him when my phone rang and it was Jason on the line. Jason had been cycling up a long hill and realised the man on the bike just in front of him was Paul! Rich and I set off again in the van and caught them up towards the top of the summit, by that stage Paul had been on the bike for 50 mins, a little more than planned!. It was our first "lost" rider of this years challenge and no doubt not our last. Paul said he had been heads down pedalling and must have missed us and we must have been getting Jason's bike out the van at the time.

The next round of rides was pretty uneventful but the scenery was spectacular despite the rain. As I was going over a ridge half way through my third ride the rain switched to hail with a good headwind which made it hard going. As we went into the fourth round of rides we passed the 100 mile mark. We'd managed to get some video during the ride, but the rain had made it difficult and we had to put freezer food bags over the camera's to keep them dry.

We had time for one more ride each and I then had a fifth ride to take us the last 10 miles to our hotel in Killarney. It had been a good first day and a late finish at around 7:30 so it was starting to get dark as we parked up. The forecast for Friday was looking worse than today still so we were all looking forward to a hot shower, some food and a good sleep.

Day 1 - Blarney to Killarney (163 miles)

Photo 2: Ferry arriving in Cork on Thursday morning

Photo 3: Our team at the starting line at Blarney Castle.

Photo 4: Kissing the Blarney Stone at the top of the tower.

The ferry crossing to Ireland was fortunately very calm and the boat bar and restaurant were kept busy as cyclists gathered and exchanged stories. The ferry crew had obviously under-estimated the amount of business they were going to get as there were large queues everywhere with people waiting to pay. This became a real challenge in the morning at breakfast as literally hundred's of cyclists descended on the restaurant to stoke up ready for a long day in the saddle.

The ferry came into Cork harbour about 8:45 which was 45 mins later than scheduled. We had a 30 min drive out to the starting line at Blarney Castle and a further wait there to let the Marshalls get out onto the road and get the signs up. With 8-10 hrs cycling ahead depending on the terrain a 10:00 start could mean a late finish unless there was some serious leap-frogging. Leap-frogging basically meant letting the next cyclist start his ride just before the previous one finished. So you still covered the full distance, but for a couple of minutes at each change-over you had two bikes on the road.

We'd decided on a running order of Colin, Paul, Jason then Rich so I was first up for the day. The sun was trying to come out as I set off so I was able to put the Flip camera on the handlebars and try to get some video. It took a little while to get warmed up and for the legs to get moving quickly but it was a beautiful ride through fields and woodland and along streams. There were quite a few vans on the road shouting encouragement and I was lucky to have another rider to slipstream with for the last five minutes so we kept up a pretty good pace. That was the end of the first ride of the day and I then handed over to Paul.

Day 0 - The road to Ireland!

Photo 1: Chrome Domes Team on the road to catch the ferry.

Well we're finally off! Paul went to pick the van up this morning and was told it had a mechanical fault, so we had a slight delay as we swapped vehicles. Fortunately we were hiring from Abacus who had a team in the ride as well, so they gave us the mini-bus their owner was going to use and switched him to a camper van. It meant the mini-bus was already prepared with the seats out ready for Paul's home made bike rack, so we quickly put the bikes and equipment on board and headed down the M4 in the rain.

Looking ahead at the route for the next 3 days it looks like we should have a lot of fun. Day 1 we arrive on the ferry into Cork and head to Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. We then head through lots of towns with names I can't pronounce before joining the Ring of Kerry after 73 miles. After another 30 miles we head over Coomakista Pass and day 1 finishes at Killarney after 163 miles. Day 2 we have to take a ferry across the River Shannon. The ferry runs just once an hour and has a capacity of 55 vehicles. If rider and van get separated the rider can be out on the bike for a while so timing is going to be vey important at this stage. With 70+ vehicles in our event plus the usual local traffic we're likely to be keeping the ferries full for a few hours!. Once across the river we cycle another 40 miles until we get to the Cliffs of Moher where we head for the coastal road. Day 2 finishes in Galway after just 141 miles so its a relatively short day and we're staying near the city centre that night so its a chance to explore the town. Day 3 is the long day at 190 miles and finishes at Russborough House in Dublin, which is considered to be one of the finest stately homes in Ireland. The evening in Dublin is at the Guiness Storehouse where we have a guided tour, dinner and hopefully a drink to celebrate .....

All in all should be a good three days cycling and there are a lot of familiar names on the team sheet again this year including the Chrome Domes and Rear View so hopefully a chance to meet some old friends again and also a chance to make some new ones. With that I'll sign off for this first blog post....we're now approaching the ferry terminal in Swansea and the sun is shining and we have blue skies! Fingers crossed for a smooth crossing tonight.

Weather Update

Looking good for the weather for the next few days!. I’m impressed the wind changes direction between Friday and Sunday so you can cycle into it in both directions!

Look out for the green arrows.....

I’m definitely hoping I don't get lost going round the Cliffs of Moher like these cyclists!!

Second Attempt at Video from the Bike

Cycle ride through Headley, over Box Hill, through Westhumble along Ranmore Common and back. Filmed using a Flip Ultra HD secured to the handlebars with a Fotopro Action Mount and post processing in Camtasia Studio 7 to speed it up x10. The first 2-3 minutes are quite dark as the ride started before sunrise and there are quite a few roads without any street lights. After that it gradually gets lighter.

Visit to Cancer Research Centre

On a cold night in late November I headed down to the Somers Cancer Research Building at Southampton General Hospital for the handing over of the cheque from last year’s challenge. It was a special evening as the Chief Clinician of Cancer Research UK Prof Peter Johnson wanted to say thanks by taking us on a tour of the centre.

Cancer Research UK spends money researching all types of cancer from the most common to rare types of tumours. The Southampton research centre was one of the first in the UK and focuses on the biology and treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder and breast cancer and cancer genetics.

The tour started with a talk in which Professor Johnson reviewed global trends in cancer and some of the recent scientific breakthroughs. There were some very large numbers as approximately 11 million people a year are diagnosed with cancer of which 1.4 million are lung cancer, 1.1 million breast cancer, and around a million each for bowel and stomach cancer. Worldwide cancer is responsible for 13% of all deaths, but in developed countries like the United States its estimated to be responsible for as much as 25% and one in three people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime.

With these statistics in our mind and a quick crash course in cancer genetics we then spent time touring the labs and talking to the scientists carrying out the research. It was amazing to see how much technology played a key role in the research and the lab environment was a lot more sophisticated than when I did my PhD back in 1988! The analysis they were able to do was very impressive and there has been significant progress in the development of targeted therapy drugs that act specifically on detectable molecular abnormalities in certain tumors, and which minimize damage to normal cells. It was amazing to hear the progress being made and to see how the money raised was helping towards day-to-day care as well as cures and prevention.

Working in the field of collaboration technologies at Cisco and looking to improve the efficiencies of our global teams at work, I was also impressed at the way Cancer Research UK worked globally with cancer research centers in United States, Europe and beyond. It was clear this really was a global war against cancer and it was also clear how important all the money we raised was in that war. It’s something we’re all proud to support and we’re excited to be riding again for them and our other charities this year.

Test of Flip Video on the Bike!

Cycle ride through Headley and over Box Hill. Filmed using a Flip mino HD secured to the handlebars with a Flip Video Action Mount and post processing in Camtasia Studio 6.