Monday 31st July

Woo Hooo, had confirmation from the estate agent today. I can pick my keys up on Friday :)

Started packing last night. I was thinking I didn't have that much to take with me... how wrong was I?!?! It's not until you lay it all out in front of you that you realise just how much "crap" you collect over the years. I can't chuck anything out though, even a cardboard box has it's use!!

Was going to go out for a ride tonight but it's chucking it down and I didn't get in from work until 8:40pm (dam you Microsoft Updates!!). Really am going to try and get some serious training in. May even join a gym... if I can afford it

Had another sponsor today from my fellow support engineer and band master Paul Kelly. Cheers mate!!

Also added £50 from the auctioning of several SRAM products (as donated by FisherOutdoor).

Some pictures of Chris and Beckys wedding:-

Everyone say Cheese

Bestman Gab and the Happy Couple

Me, Dale and Toby Looking Dapper!!

Chris, Becky and Iwan

Total fundraising to date: £3672.00
Miles Rode Today: 0
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 556.5

*Sunday 30th July

Picked my bike up from Reg Braddicks on Wednesday. Didn't have chance to get out until today though, and then I could only manage a meesly 12 miles.

The wedding yesterday was fantastic. Had a little rain earlier in the day which threatened us all but it cleared up lovely. We had the main reception at the Chain Bridge in Usk (very scenic) with the speeches by father, groom and best man (good speech Gab mate!!) followed by a very nice 3 course meal (must learn not to drink all the free wine next time!!). I was pretty p!ssed by 4pm.

Evening do started at 7pm in the 3 Salmons (Usk) so it was a case of drinking, chatting, dancing and then some until the early hours.

Fantastic day and I was really proud to have been a part of it!! Congratulations to Chris and Becky!!

Total fundraising to date: £3572.00
Miles Rode Today: 12
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 556.5

Tuesday 25th July

What a weekend!!

All a bit of a blur really but I did manage to wake on Sunday morning to find I had lost my voice, probably from laughing so much :P

Apart from the usual banter on a stag do, our Saturday night dress up went down a storm. I even had complete strangers asking for a photo with me... I made quite a good Princess Leia :)

Still haven't picked my bike up from Reg Braddicks. Had to have a new crank fitted and this took some time to order. Should be able to pick it up tomorrow though :)

On the house front... had a meeting with my solicitor (grrr) today, took him down a nice big bankers draft and have been told I should be getting the keys by the end of next week. Argghhhhh

Time to start looking for white goods, sofas, beds.... Oh god!!

Total fundraising to date: £3572.00
Miles Rode Today: 0
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 544.5

Thursday 20th July

Maaan it's hot!!

A few bits of news since my last entry. Those bottles arrived from BottleSport and they are fantastic. I now have 140 500ml Cycle4Charity.org water bottles to give away/sell :)

My glasses from Zeal Optics arrived as well, double :)

Many thanks to Robin Bell (Zeal Optics) and Andrew Holyoake (BottleSport) for your kind donations.

You can find the links to their sites on: www.cycle4charity.org

Also took my poor bike down to Reg Braddick Cycles in Cardiff on Monday. After getting lost (as I always do in Cardiff) I finally found them (located on Broadway) they said they could make her like new and fix that back wheel "good n proper". Can't pick it up till next Monday but...

I've got a Stag Doo this weekend down in Torquay (Devon) for my good mate Sparrow (AKA Chris White). Leaving tomorrow morning to get down there early in order to "catch some waves duuuude". Yep, we're going surfin :P Then it's a case of beer, beer and more beer, then maybe some vodka thrown in.

Grand Prix Saturday (Go-Karting) and then the piece de la resistance... a mystery fancy dress night on the tiles...

We was originally all going to go as the same. Either Steve Irwins or Cavemen etc... (all 15 of us) but then we thought it may prove more fun making it a surprise...

I think it's now safe to let the cat out the bag... I'm going as Princess Leia :P

What?? At least I won't have a double :)

Total fundraising to date: £3572.00
Miles Rode Today: 0
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 544.5

Thursday 13th July

Spoke with Reg Braddick today. Gave me the all clear to take my bike down for a servicing and to pick up some items they said they are willing to donate for use/raffle. Hope to pop down on Monday :)

Have now finished the site I mentioned yesterday after some fine tuning this evening. I'm pleased to announce the New Sea Divers website is now live. Check out www.newseadivers.org.uk

They have donated a free PADI certificate course for me to auction/raffle for doing their site.

I've added both Reg Braddick and New Sea Divers to the Company and Links pages on my site (if you don't know what the address is: www.cycle4charity.org but you knew this already! Right?).

Got the day off work tomorrow (the first for about 5 months!!, although I'll still be going in for a few hrs - can't help it, I'm a workaholic!!) to try and get the ball rolling on my house move... which I'm still waiting for the exchange date... which I'm sure will happen when my solicitors (grr) get their ass in gear. At the moment their in "Granny Gear - 1st"... after my talk tomorrow I'm hoping they get in "Extreme - 27th Gear" and start taking this seriously.

Put the offer in Saturday 13th May and considering theres no chain, I was hoping it would be a quick process. So much for hoping!!

I hate solicitors!!!

Total fundraising to date: £3572.00
Miles Rode Today: 0
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 544.5

Wednesday 12th July

Dear Aunty Teresa (private joke) :P

I likes those big brown eye's
I likes the ring through your nose
I likes your wet snout
I likes the way you stamps your hooves
I likes them big dangling udders you got
I likes the dance you do's in the anchor spreadable advert
I likes you medium to well done, with a good drop off mayonaise sauce.
But most of all i likes the way you MOOOOOOOOOOO

Gutted, haven't been out on the bike since last Wednesday...

Let this be a lesson, unless your a pro, don't dismantle your gear mechanisms to see how they work!!

I've kinda fixed it but the back wheel is still, shall we say, oval rather than round and theres not a lot I can do about that tbh.

Not going to take it to the usual place... I won't name them as I wouldn't want to give people the wrong impression, but let's say I wouldn't even take my bike there to get a reflector fitted yet alone realign a wheel, Halfo.... now now, I said I wouldn't mention their name :P

Muppets!!

I've been offered free servicing from Reg Braddick cycles in Cardiff so I'm hoping to take the bike down there sometime this week to get it done properly :D

Haven't had time to blog for the last few days. Been working on the bike amongst other stuff. I've fitted the SRAM components and they are running smooth as, just need a little tweaking to stop the ghosting during gear changing, my fault for taking it apart. I'm hoping the folks at Reg Braddick can lend me a few pointers when I go down there.

Would be a good idea to get to grips with all sides of bike maintenance, not just changing a tube or fitting a new cable on the side of the road... wouldn't want to be stuck on a mountain side in Vietnam with only 1 gear working, thats what scares the bejesus outta me, well, that and really big spiders :)

Also been working on a website for a local scuba diving club. More on that to come when it's up and running.

Still emailing companies left, right and centre asking for support. Out of the last ooo say 50 odd emails I've sent, I've had 2 replies. It's hard work trying to get sponsors/donations. Still, I battle on with the spam war...

On my house front... my solicitors (grr) are still fobbing me off saying their waiting for information from the vendors solicitors (grr), Helen from the Estate Agents has been advising me she's on to the vendors, the vendors are on to their solicitors (grr) and I'm on to my solicitors (grr), meanwhile little Dougy Jnr and his lil sis Sharline fell down a cliff and Bouncer had to get Carl and Harold for help...

Yup, it's like an episode off Neighbours :(

Had another donation today from a new work collegue, thank you John Lambert!!

Until next time: G'day. What's your favourite colour Blue??...

D'oh almost forgot to mention, Andrew Morris from Nottingham won my World Cup Predicitions competition netting himself a nice £150 cheque. Congratulations Andrew!!

The World Cup Predicition competition helped raise over £500 for Cancer Research UK

Italy winning the World Cup... why didn't I predict that??

Total fundraising to date: £3572.00
Miles Rode Today: 0
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 544.5

Thursday 6th July

No training tonight. Need a chance for my legs to recuperate.

Received some items today which were kindly donated by Matt Ward of Fisher Outdoors. Several SRAM Cassettes and Chains, which are highly respected in the MTB world.

These should help me during my training and the event. Always nice to have smooth working gear mechanisms :)

Thank you Matt!!

You can visit their site here: www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk


Had another donation which has now brought me over my target for Cancer Research UK (currently standing at £2507), thank you Joyce!!

I'm now going to try concentrating on raising as much money for St Anne's hospice... (currently standing at £995)

So, Italy and France in the world cup... who'd have thought that??? Glad to see Portugal get knocked out though!!!

Oh yeah, forgot to mention I snapped yet another spoke on last nights ride... that take's me up to 4 snapped spokes in the last 6 weeks. And NO it's NOT coz I'm fat... I just ride hard :P

Total fundraising to date: £3502.00
Miles Rode Today: 0
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 544.5

*Wednesday 5th July

Let it rain let it rain let it rain... ahhhh I can breath again!! Nothing like a storm to clear the air!!

Added another 23 miles to the odometer tonight, got soaked but it was a refreshing change compared to riding in the heat!!

Think I prefer to ride when it's dry though... nothing worse than being soaked to the skin with no dry clothes to change into... and still having 14 miles til you get home :(

That'll be over 80 miles since last Thursday, I'm quite happy with that :)

With less than 2 minutes til final whistle, it looks like Italy will be playing France in the final... unless Portugal get a stormer in the last few seconds.... holds breath....

FRANCE ARE THROUGH!!!

Total fundraising to date: £3442.00
Miles Rode Today: 23
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 544.5

*Tuesday 4th July

Another 21 miles added to the odometer tonight. Would have gone further but I ran out of juice... 31 degrees is just too hot to going riding in, although I'm sure it'll help towards my Vietnam trip. Not sure what the weather / temperature / humidity is like whilst I'm out there?

Germany out of the World Cup... maybe its fate...

Since England got knocked out, I changed alliance to Brazil... they got knocked out (by France) so I changed alliance again, to the mother land... now they've been knocked out... don't care who wins it now :)

Fantastic game though!! Real football!!

Germany 0 - 2 Italy

Total fundraising to date: £3442.00
Miles Rode Today: 21
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 521.5

*Sunday 2nd July

Got out today and with the aid of my mp3 player, I managed a massive 43.5 miles in 3hrs 25 minutes, but I'm paying for it now big style!!

Weather was hot, very hot and if it wasn't for my 2.5ltr camelbak I'm sure I would have struggled getting back.

Ass is killing me, legs are wobbly and I think I pulled a hamstring... still, no pain no gain as they say.

Gutted to see England are now out of the World Cup. Rooney should have never been sent off!! Was also surprised to see Brazil get knocked out by France... wtf is going on?!?!

Total fundraising to date: £3442.00
Miles Rode Today: 43.5
Miles Rode Since 16/02/06: 500.5