Ride the Night 2018

It's always nice go get a ride in the calendar that is a little different. This one was especially different because it was nothing to do with me or the rest of the chaps.

Our good friend Wendi was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer in 2014 and since then has bravely endured two course of chemotherapy. After the third session of the third  course, treatment was stopped due to it being ineffective. She then went through a series of radiotherapy sessions to treat localized tumors but throughout her ordeal, Wendi remained cheerful and was always the life and soul of the party. She was, without doubt, one of the bravest people I have ever met. 

The girls decided that they wanted to do something and so 'Wendi's Warriors' were born. 
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Suzi, Leonie, Sue, Sharon, Molly and Jacqui ready to rock and roll at Windsor racecourse. 

Rewind several months and we devise a series of rides to prepare the girls for the big day. Most of the build-up was during the winter and spring, so we managed relatively few evening excursions due to the light, weather or both, plus the fact that the team work and live in different places. Every weekend we commit to at least one decent ride out, starting with steady twenty milers and culminating in several rides of fifty miles or so but with more hills than they would encounter on the day. I would like to say that the routes planned on their behalf were well received, but that wouldn't be true. Deep down I was convinced they enjoyed it and saw the sense of training hard in order to ride easy. Unfortunately - that wasn't true either. 

Ride the Night is an annual fundraiser that gives normal people the chance to something extraordinary. It's typical of events of this type where you need to raise a minimum sponsorship in order to partake. In this case, it was £199 each and, at the time of going to press, the total now stands at £3160.22 plus some 'corporate' income and plus Gift Aid - and it is still rising.  
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The route changed slightly at the last minute and ended up being 64 miles, essentially it was along the Thames Valley from Windsor to Westminster and back. I don't think the capture above was the actual route on the day, but you get the idea. Short sections were on partly-closed roads but the majority of the time we were sharing the tarmac with the Saturday evening traffic which, I must say, was very patient and courteous. 
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The Warriors were in the third mini-wave out at just after 21:00 and Suzi, Sharon, Jacqui, Leonie and Molly lead the charge (Sue hidden). Mark, Simon and I were loitering in the background and slipped out of the paddock a few minutes behind the girls. Our plan was to leave them to it but follow at a respectful distance carrying a rucsac full of spares and to be available in case of mechanicals.  

It was a warm evening, slightly overcast but with risk of scattered rain and the odd thunderstorm (apparently). Mark, Simon and I exited the racecourse and they were nowhere to be seen. We speeded up until we caught sight of them, guaged the cruising speed and then dropped back to follow. Mmmm 15.6 mph average - not bad ladies, I wonder how long that will last ? As it happened it lasted quite a while, right up until they hit the first thunderstorm approaching Teddington. This lasted barely five minutes, but resulted in every single part of man, girl and bike getting competely saturated. It stopped almost as quickly as it started and, luckily, it was so warm that it was pointless getting the waterproofs out. It was too late and we would dry out ...

Or not. As we approached Richmond we hit another thunderstorm. This one was the size of London and appeared to sit right above us for the next three hours until we rode out of it near Teddington on the way back. Footage below courtesy of 'bluepeter27' via Youtube.
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There was a brief respite as we stopped a the mid-way feed station along the Mall, but the respite was that the 'deluge' reduced to a mere 'torrent'. There was no chance to get dry, still no point in putting a waterproof on but hanging around for too long would result in getting quite cold. 

After a short stop, cup of tea and flapjack they are off again. It was such a shame that the weather wasn't kinder because cruising up the Mall and past the Palace in the peleton was pretty cool but it would have been even better under a clear sky. Mark, Simon and I decide to ride with them, Mark at the front and Simon and I at the back out of the way but just to make sure the traffic didn't get too close and / or stop the vehicles trying to overtake when they shouldn't. Stretches of road were so wet, we rode down the middle because we were unable to see what danger lurked under the surface. I cannot remember being caught out in such a storm - ever. It was so bad it was almost comical. Areas of the road along the embankment where there is an adverse camber - presumably designed specifically to get rid of water - were a foot under water. Cranks and feet were submerged during each rotation but the Warriors just took it all in their stride / stroke. 

We were soaked, the traffic was heavy and a few of the junctions and turnings in central London were a little tricky. We stopped at a funny 'wait for the lights and use the cycle path' thing and Jacqui slips whilst unclipping and hits the pavement quite hard. A small dose of soothing and some mild sympathy later she is back on it and the team slot into formation and start eating up the return mileage. It's still pi$$ing down, but hey ...

We dropped down a short hill about forty miles in and came across a lady who had fallen off after, presumably, grabbing too much front brake. Simon and I stopped to help and Mark carried on with the Warriors. Essentially that's the last Simon and I saw of them as they rode off into the night - we never managed to catch them up ! 
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We coaxed the lady onto her feet and off the road, mopped up some blood and eventually got her back on the bike. We slowly make our way towards the next feed station but after a mile we handed her over to two elderly ladies who were travelling at a similar speed and shoot off trying to catch up. Another mile later we stopped to repair someone's puncture and, while we are there, the lady who fell off comes trundling by with her helpers. By the time we got to the last feed station, the Warriors had left (well, we find out later they didn't bother to stop!). We check up on the lady who fell and she is OK but it is unclear if she will continue despite the damage being a mere flesh wound.  We set off again at breakneck speed only to run into a small group at the side of road with two punctures. We fix one each, set off again, stopped for someone else - fix another puncture, stop - fix another, stop - Simon straightens a gear hanger, stop - Simon puts a chain back on and finally stopped again to help the only lady we came across who actually had a spare tube with her. Good job, because by this time almost all of ours have been given away and I had a rucsac full of useless rubber.   

Ahead of us, the Warriors had smashed it and finished in fine style. Whilst Simon and I were ticking off the last few miles at an unhealthy speed, the heroes of the evening were sucking up the adulation of the crowd, enjoying some light refreshments and posing for victory photos with their medals. 
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I cannot tell you how proud we all are of their achievements. Despite riding through a storm of biblical proportions they never lost their sense of purpose or their sense of humour. They, and everyone else who took part, will remember this for a very long time. Chapeau ladies. 

The dust settles on a memorable event and we hear that they may do it again next year. We are praying for clear skies already. I think next time, Simon and I will volunteer to be official mobile helpers - perhaps that way someone else may provide the innertubes. 

Stats :

Miles ridden - 65
Money raised - about £4250 including some 'invisible' Corporate sponsorship
Rainfall - 137mm approx
Accidents (minor) - one  
Scuffs & Scrapes - three
Punctures - none
Mechanicals - none 
Sense of humour failures - none

Impressive stats indeed.

Our lovely friend Wendi died shortly afterwards and on Friday 15th June she was laid to rest at the Eden Valley Woodland Burial Ground.  I was honoured to be asked to help carry her to the final resting place with Simon (brother in law), Will (nephew) and Geordie (boyfriend). All the Warriors were there to say goodbye and we all cried. 

Massive thanks to everone who sponsored the girls and to the riders themselves who gave up their time for such a worthwhile cause. Even more massiver thanks to Simon and Sharon who did so much to help Wendi in so many ways, for making all the final arrangements and for just being there. 
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Wendi Jane Day was only 47 when she died and, quite frankly, it sucks. However, It does remind you not to waste a single day.