Intro: Fifty cyclists, including Novacroft’s Duncan Smith (2nd/3rd Line IT Analyst) and Daryl Hurst (Head of Research and Development), will be taking on the 230 mile ‘Ride for Hope’ cycle challenge from Northampton, England to Ypres, Belgium, from July 6th – 9th 2017, in aid of the Northampton Hope centre. The route takes them from Northampton to Enfield (72 miles, day 1), Enfield to Canterbury (80 miles, day 2) and Canterbury to Ypres (73 miles, day 3) followed by coach travel back to Northampton. Novacroft will be following Daryl and Duncan’s journey, from training to the event itself, and the trials and tribulations in between.
The weather has been fantastic this last week. So much so that I’ve managed to get out on a few longer rides as I try to ramp up my miles, but I think I’ve got IT band syndrome. The outside of my left knee is hurting during and after rides. I’ve got a physio appointment booked so hopefully I’ll have some stretching and strengthening exercises and possibly other ideas of what I can do to try to alleviate the pain so I can get through the three day ride to Belgium.
Anyway, back to the cycling…
I did a 60 mile ride with the Sun Riders on Saturday followed by a 40 mile ride by myself on the Sunday. Earlier this week I went out for a 50 mile ride after work. I think I might have the cycling bug! There is something amazing about cycling 50 miles through the villages and countryside of Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire on a warm sunny evening! I think John Forester (bicycle transportation engineer and author) sums it up nicely:
People like to travel: that is why the grass is greener over the fence. We are walkers – our natural means of travel is to put one foot in front of the other. The bicycle seduces our basic nature by making walking exciting. It lets us take 10-foot strides at 160 paces a minute. That is 20 miles per hour, instead of 4 or 5 miles per hour … It is not only how fast you go – cars are faster and jet planes faster still. But jet-plane travel is frustrating boredom – at least the car gives the pictorial illusion of travel. Cycling does it all – you have the complete satisfaction of arriving because your mind has chosen the path and steered you over it; your eyes have seen it; your muscles have felt it; your breathing, circulatory and digestive systems have all done their natural functions better than ever, and every part of your being knows you have travelled and arrived.
Quote from Effective Cycling, John Forester, 2012
Duncan and Daryl need to raise £500 each as part of their commitment to the Hope Centre. If you’d like to add your support and help them reach their target, you can access Daryl’s JustGiving page here and Duncan’s JustGiving page here.
