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So when the training gets tough, I look down at the top tube of my bike where I carry 2 names that inspire me to push on. The names are, my Mum – Ruth Davies, and my Aunt Meg, both of whom lost their lives to blood diseases. My Mum, as many of you already know, passed away last year from Leukemia (AML). I thank God for the 14 months of remission she had and the last vacation we spent together in February 2006. At the end of 2006, the leukemia returned and this time there was no stopping it. After wasting away, my mother died in April of 2007. Similarly, my Aunt Meg passed away in February of 1993 after an 11-year battle against Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. What these two women endured is infinitely more than any discomfort I feel during my training.
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The longest one day ride I ever completed was an 80-mile round-trip ride from Shrewsbury to the top of the Horseshoe Pass. The bike was stolen when I was 20 years-old and I didn't ride again for nearly 15 years.
For my 35th birthday my wife gave me the biggest surprise ever when she had friends and family all pitch in for a mountain bike. My Mum (and Dad) was there for the surprise, it was awesome.
I rode the bike half-heartedly for the first few years, always feeling defeated by the hills and mountains we are surrounded by. Three years ago I started riding seriously, I now needed to lose weight. I began riding regularly on the flat, then after tackling some smaller hills I finally took on The Rocky Peak Fire Road (a challenging, loose surface, single track climb to the top of the 3rd Highest summit in the Santa Susana Mountain Range. I had done it! I achieved something in my forties that I couldn't manage in my thirties. It was such a rush to stand on top of the mountain that day.
The bike I am riding in training, and that I intend to ride around Lake Tahoe, cost me $15 (that's about 7 quid) when I purchased it from a Salvation Army Thrift Store. It is a 1984 Centurion Accordo and like the bike that I started this story with, it has recieved upgrades; 700c wheels, new seat, and down-tube shifters. But it remains an all-steel bicycle. (Some people say steel frames have the best ride, and the Centurion is a sought after steel frame). I may make some more upgrades, but this will be the bike I ride "round the lake" on what will be the longest ride of my life!
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