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THE LIGHT FUND
instant tractor rage as now 69 cyclists hurtled over the hill towards him on a road where he has probably never seen a living soul before. The cyclists with the gravitational downhill advantage were too quick for him, however, the poor creatures in the support car - myself included - took the full barrage of his fury as he blocked the road with his Massey Ferguson Monster Truck and verbally assaulted our driver through the 2-inch – and reducing window opening. While our cycling challenge took in three parts of the British Isles, the ‘real’ memories of the four days in the saddle will have a Welsh flavour. The heart pounding ascents and undulating rollercoaster hills were of the illegitimate sort and were simply unrelenting and jarring in torturous repetition with increased ferocity. Even Ireland’s Wicklow Mountains showed decency and courteous respect with consistent and gradual incline in stunning scenery - the only exception being Mount Leinster, which was the cycling equivalent of being hung, drawn and quartered. Life happens on the hills says he the blogger and photographer from the comfort of the support car. They are opportunities to prove to yourself that you’re stronger than you ever imagined. If you never attempt the ascent, you’ll never know the thrill of swooshing down the other side. When your legs scream “stop” and your lungs are bursting, that’s
when it starts. That’s the hurt locker. That’s where most of our group found themselves at some point on this journey and that is what most of you reading this article have so stoically sponsored. Pep talk now over, it was on the third morning that poor Warren Traeger (Jami) had a delayed start and found himself cycling alone in rural Wexford. In a small town of inescapable name which none of us can remember, he missed his turn. In this part of Ireland they decorate the roads with double yellow lines it seems only to comply with a Council directive and this meant that the signpost to Dublin was obscured by an illegally parked van. Some six miles later when he could see not another soul let alone another cyclist, he stopped and made his SOS call of shame. He was lost and outside a pub called Ó Foģluďa - how very appropriate for his predicament. Of notable recollection too were the shredded shoe cleats. These were simply rendered useless as those with less fitness or more often than not who had older, heavier bikes with fewer gears, had to walk the severest of elevations and in so doing basically eroded their cleats against the grind of the tarmac. At one point Gurdev Mattu (Fashion UK) gave the two fingered salute to protocol and actually cycled in his Crocs. In trying to credibly and fairly contextualise and convey the overall substance of this challenge, it may be useful to synoptically re-cap and consider some of the rather impressive statistics and highlights from the week itself. Some 70 riders started and 70 riders finished. We had one concussion, one broken elbow, two vans with broken wing mirrors and a car with a ripped LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2018
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