The Kaiser Cardiomyopathy Challenge

Ever since that day, the day that changed everything, I have been chanting to myself “just get to a year, just get to a year” like a train that stops at no stations. It was a focal point, as if twelve months down the line some magical solution would appear and make the 365 days of pain previous to it just simply disappear…

Of course this was not to be, here I am at the miraculous twelve months and everything is the same but different all at once. Different because the ripple effect of your death has led to my life changing in most ways - I have a new job, a new flat mate, met new friends and faced new challenges. But the thing that is the same…the one thing I would wish to change, is that you still aren’t here to experience all of this. That you aren’t holding my hand, or by my side as life’s hurdles come this way. That to some people in my life, you are just a memory as they never got the chance to meet you. The pain in my heart is still as strong twelve months on, you still feature in every thought that floats through my mind and you are still my husband.

For every moment that has bought excitement or happiness over the last year, and thanks to my wonderful friends, family and colleagues who have worked hard to make sure these moments appear, it is followed by a tsunami of sorrow that you aren’t here for me to share it with and then guilt that I even dared smiled at all when my heart is so lonely without you.

But, as I promised you, I am trying. I am trying to life my life to the full and do the things that we once talked of. Hence why I am writing this from Peru having just finishing a five day trek to Machu Picchu. I am sun burnt and exhausted but the thought of you and our love pushed me through every step to make sure that I reached the top and told many strangers, of whom I can now call friends, of my wonderful fiance and how he is my inspiration to make sure I never take a day for granted, that I embrace the daily challenge he has given me of surviving without him and how he sits in my heart’s warm embrace ensuring that even in the darkest moments I am never alone.

It has been has been a long time since Machu Picchu has lived and breathed, but as you enter it, you can feel it is still alive with the strong spirit that runs through every ruin…You are the same, even though you haven’t been with me physically for twelve months, your strong spirit surrounds all that I do and reminds me why I need to keep on fighting.

I am on the precipice of launching The Kaiser Challenge 2013, and would ask all that read this to support just as much as last year - even though 365 days have passed, the loss is still real and the mourning train doesn’t stop, the chanting just changes to “just get to two years, just get to two years”…

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the last year, I honestly couldn’t have got here without you.

I love and miss you my boy xxx

So, as you may have noticed, it has taken me a while to get round to writing about the last day. Two months in fact! This has mainly been because I don’t want to put The Kaiser Challenge to bed by writing about that amazing last day. However, over the last few weeks I have come to notice that a simple blogpost won’t ever spell the end as there are still many other bits and pieces going on to carry on raising money and awareness of Cardiomyopathy in Kaiser’s name - last weekend alone we had his cousin, Stephen, competing in The Great North Run and his nephew, Morgan, along with Morgan’s dad Ian and friend, Timmins, cycle around Manchester completing 60 and 100 miles respectively.

The Kaiser Challenge has basically provided a platform and a cause for many people to do good - continuing to reflect Kaiser’s attitude and thus ensuring that he is living on. The momentum is not stopping and we still have the MBDA boys running the Berlin marathon later this month and Weeder and Dom joining in the Bristol 10k in October - slightly different distances but both equal in challenge for the participants.

Obviously the money raised for these activities won’t go on to the official Kaiser Challenge total but we can basically rest easy that the total raised in Kaiser’s name because of his fantastic zest for life will consistently increase week on week. What a difference to those charities we have made - a massive high five to each and every one of you who has been/will be involved in whatever form.

So, the last day…We awoke in glamorous Gloucester, cuddling our bikes in our hotel rooms and not looking forward to pulling on extremely soggy lycra after the ridiculous attack from Mother Nature on the previous day. This was unless you were one of the lucky few who managed to pass over numerous wet trainers and sodden padded shorts to Snix who accessed a wonderful tumble dryer and spent the night running some sort of back street launderette service…I was so glad to abuse my position and make sure that my stuff got in there…

We decided to stagger the start so that we all arrived into Bristol at similar times, this meant that some of us needed to leave pretty early and, basically, the Speedy Wizards got to laze about all morning. To be fair to them, even with this delayed start they were STILL the first to arrive at the suspension bridge - at least this is what I have been told as we arrived last!!

The ride was lovely, the route pretty - thanks to a Boston Tea Party route meeting with the likes of Allan, Jonny and Rob a few weeks previous - and we wound our way through lanes and villages like an extended version of the Famous Five…we even tried to coax a dog to run along with us at one point but he wasn’t really having any of it!

All was going well on Team Roberts for most of the way, mixing it up with Team Sausage and Team Day whilst trying to avoid getting knocked over by our additional support driver who arrived on a motorbike…This was until Abi’s knees decided to give way - bless her, she had been hammering it so hard with no specialized gear for the previous two days and then when we are finally on some nice flat with no rain they just went ‘pop’.

However, did she let this stop her? Did she heck. Classic Miss Small, we spent a fair bit of time tying up her knees with everything we could find in the First Aid kits, at one point doing it so tight that she couldn’t feel her legs, eventually sorting it so that she could persevere and resist the lure of the comfortable support van. 

Whilst we were loitering at this point, using the stop as an excuse to stuff our faces with yet more chocolate bars, we managed to see that The Kaiser Challenge had made national coverage with us appearing in the Sun - great stuff! If only they had included the bloody web address…

Cycling off, we all got to the lunch spot at similar times and enjoyed some good grub whilst arguing whether it was 12 or 22 miles until Bristol…To this day I am still not sure how much it turned out to be (slightly concerning as I really should’ve known what with my involvement in the route planning!), but it felt like the latter. In fact, once we were in Bristol was where it got a bit confusing as we seemed to go round in circles in a bid to discover all the hills in the Shirehampton area. At one point (this happened to be on a VERY steep and unexpected hill), Storah turned to me and asked the dreaded question, “You did drive the route didn’t you Sarah?”…Ummm…..lalalalaaaaa…

Once we got past that bit (which of course Loony Lorna and Raging Ruth bombed up, I was even taken over by Abi and her broken knees!) we were on the Portway with the last big hill before us - Bridge Valley Road…Now, I can’t really walk up this let alone get a lump of metal and rubber up there with me. It is steepish, long and curvy taking you from the river up into Clifton. On the approach the less experienced of us were inhaling energy gels like there was no tomorrow and the fitter kids were getting ready to race (nutters). I am proud to say that we all got up it (eventually) and I cried tears of pride at the top. We were, after all, nearly there.

All the rest of Team Pegasus were waiting patiently at the bridge for our arrival and then, as one mass and with me leading the charge we crossed the Suspension Bridge in a blur of charity vests, sweat and tears, cycling into a group of waiting well wishers at the entrance to Ashton Court. It was emotional and triumphant, but as I kept reminding everyone - we were not at the finish line yet.

After cake was consumed and we absorbed the extra 15 riders into the groups, we set off for the final 13 miles - we were a team of 70 cyclists by this point and it was pretty amazing to be able to look back and see this snake of wonderful individuals all cycling for our boy, through an area that he would bosh about on his bike every week. Knowing Kaise as I do, I know he would have definitely been welling up at this point whilst watching over us - perhaps that explains the rain that started to come down?!

One run in with a car full of chavs and the long wet hill that is the A38 later and we were all congregating at the Bungalow Inn before taking the last mile through the lanes nice and slow and as one massive group. It was at this point that I got to do my last ‘motivational’ speech on the megaphone…Damn I miss that thing….

Obviously this entire journey had been extremely emotional, but at this point the magnitude of what we had nearly completed hit me. I wasn’t supposed to be stood in muddy lycra, I should’ve been glammed up in my wedding dress dancing with my new husband but as that wasn’t to happen I felt (and still do) extremely indebted to the individuals before me and those waiting in the field for the support they had given me. I don’t know how I would have got through that day if we weren’t doing something so incredible.

Cycling through the winding lanes in the drizzle for the last mile was pretty uneventful - aside from Gosha (who had done the whole thing on the heaviest of beachcomber style bicycle) when her brakes failed going down hill. Instead of hitting fellow team-mates she choice to go kamikaze style into the hedge - what a team player!

Coming round the last corner to the sound of Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’ echoing through the hedgerows and rapturous applause was magical. The lanes were alive with love, excitement, triumph and pride. It was, as everyone cycled into the muddy quagmire of a field, simply beautiful.

I started to cry and didn’t really stop for the next 7 hours as the evening and celebration that ensued was something of a miracle. It may sound dramatic but anyone who was there would vouch that the pure energy and love that filled Fairy Toot that night is not something to be described nor explained.

Alex was honoured by his friends and family in every possible way, from the beautiful words spoken throughout the night, the dancing like mad men, the fantastic band (“one more song”), the over zealous purchasing of raffle tickets, the colourful balloon release, the promises to Kaise, the poignant tree planting and the excessive drinking. He was represented in every part of his life by those there and as a result it truly felt like he was there with us.

As the embers of the bonfire glowed in the early hours of the morning, I eventually crawled into my tent at 6am exhausted, muddy and smelling of BBQs. I was cold and missing the person I should be snuggling up to but I was warm with pride and love for my boy and all that had been achieved.

It was not the wedding day that we had planned, but I know that when I see Kaiser again we will both agree that the 7th July turned into something much more than we ever could have imagined.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

xxx

I never thought I would be saying I was thankful for 78 hilly miles of tough cycling, but I think that it was only the pure elation of having finished the first day that encouraged the majority to rise from their luxurious bunk beds the next morning once they had glanced out the window.

It was freely acknowledged that we had been ridiculously lucky with the weather on day one, there were even whispers of ‘ooh, its a bit too hot’ and emergency suncream had to be purchased. Like classic British holiday makers, we managed to fill three support vans with everything and anything but sun cream was not one of them and so by the next morning as we woke, there were some very interesting tan/sun burn lines. However, any red hot skin needn’t have worried as Mother Nature had arranged a little something to ensure that we were nice and cool….

After having had a night full of stretching, carb loading and getting used to dorm style sleeping, we woke ready to go. I think the YHA was where many of the new friendships began and old ones became closer. I mean, there is only so long you can stay strangers when you are sharing a baking hot room with 8 other people who have all overdosed on an unhealthy amount of electrolytes during the day and there is only one bathroom between the lot of you..I’ll let you do the maths…

Knowing how fantastic is felt to roll in to the last stop after an exhausting day - some of us having been in the saddle for 10 hours - and the sense of achievement that it bought about was enough of a driver for the bunch of nutters to pull on their lycra, stuff an impressive amount of weetabix down their throats and get ready to fight Mother Nature and the next 68 miles with aplomb. 

If you haven’t guessed already, it was raining.

Raining, hard.

Raining, non-stop.

Raining like we had just experienced a loooong hot dry summer (rather than just one day of this) and that it was trying to make up for it…The irony is, is that despite this torrential weather assault on the country, I imagine that the hose pipe ban was probably still in place! I just don’t get this - we have a LOT of rain, are we just rubbish at catching it or something?! Answers on a postcard please…

Anyhow, Team Pegasus, being a bunch of courageous fighters on a mission, didn’t let this weather stop them. Hell, they didn’t even let it dampen their spirits and all the teams set off one by one with anoraks on backs and smiles on faces.

Unfortunately for them, they found out about 20 minutes down the line that I may have made a slight error on the route synopsis cards meaning that the initial left they took should have been a right BUT, even then, the smiles were still painted on and they were keen for it. Again, the hills of the Peak District were still haunting each and every rider and so I think the weather and wrong directions paled in comparison and that they were just thankful that such terrain was behind us.

That morning the magnitude of what we were achieving for my boy, paired with knowledge that every peddle was taking us closer to the end of this journey meant that anxiety got the better of me.

FYI, I have found this to be a wholeheartedly rubbish side effect of grief - I mean, obviously it is all something you would rather do without, but anxiety is like you fighting against yourself. And its tiring. Freaking tiring. Seriously, it is hard enough brain - don’t you turn against me!

As a result I am frequently searching for the off switch (some would say that I have found it at times but that is just an excuse for boring conversational skills that I have been known to display!).

I had to concede and spend the first ten miles of day two in the van, acting as an overzealous cheerleader for all those we passed whilst inhaling 1.5 litres of electrolytes to try and get rehydrated…I didn’t want to get in the van, I worried that I was letting Kaise down, but I knew in my heart of hearts that if I didn’t then I would be starting the day off on the wrong foot and that this would have detrimental effects later down the line - it was a marathon not a sprint after all.

But my fellow Pegasians did me proud and hit the first hill (once they were going in the right direction) with an unbeatable attitude, using the rain to drive them harder…and as a guide for the songs chosen whilst cycling. It is surprising how many tunes are rain related - my mum will be pleased to hear that ‘Raindrops on Roses’ did make quite a few appearances!

The route was kind and all the teams were making good time, of course the Speedy Wizards were off in the distance - even with a pile up (caused by Allan trying to avoid smashing into a dustcart and Tom slamming into the back of him and ending up in a heap on the road) they were not to be seen. In fact, by the time we got to lunch they were already in the next town.

Due to the rain and it being the second day, everyone was looking forward to lunchtime - especially as that, by this point, you couldn’t really see the cyclist in front of you, we were cycling through puddles the size of reservoirs and every pause for a cry/toilet stop/drink meant that hypothermia started to set in. So, with eyes sharp, we looked for the Kings Arms………..It never came.

Now, I am still not sure if I made yet another miiiild error on the route synopsis/suggested lunch stops sheets but we definitely didn’t cycle past it and the pub we ended up in hinted at the fact that there was one but it was miles away and currently residing down a completely flooded lane. Of course, this was said when 50 plus starving cyclists and support van drivers flooded into their restaurant begging for large plates of carbs but that is just me being cynical…haha…

Fair play to them as they let us take over a function room, which, within five minutes of us being in was rather damp and had an amount of sopping laundry hanging everywhere that Widow Twanky would have been impressed by. Radiators, chairs and picture frames were quickly taken over by dripping lycra, sodden anoraks and drenched trainers. Cyclists showed no shame, stripping down to the bear minimum in a bid to dry off and get warm and there was a queue in the ladies toilets - not for the cubicles, but the hand dryers…which eventually stopped working….oops…

After a couple of medicinal jager bombs for some chosen cyclists, inhaling our meals - I am pretty sure that everyone had a side of chips irrelevant of what they ordered - and getting to a mildly soaking level of dryness, the dirty job of pulling back on the wet lycra was upon us. Having never done this before, I was surprised to find out how hard it was…and gross. Cold, damp padded shorts are not ideal but it didn’t really matter as within a few moments of being outside, we were wet all over again. Yay! It was lucky that we were all hardened Brits and thus used to such weather.

It was at this point that we bid our goodbyes to our amazing cheerleaders - The Kaisers. They had followed us this far but after such long periods in a car together, they had completed their own challenge and so had to head to Bristol in preparation for our arrival the next day…They were missed, I found myself looking out for them along the route in the afternoon as there was nothing more motivational than seeing their smiling faces and hearing their shouts of encouragement at various corners as we crunched mile after mile.

The afternoon’s cycling went as well as the mornings, sure there was nearly an incident in Worcester after Team Roberts were told that we gave cycling a bad name but our gallant leader made peace with the driver. Oh no, actually he just called him fat and advised him that he needed to get out on a bike more often before we cycled off. Luckily the anoraks were hiding the web address at that point…

The Speedy Wizards reached our final destination two hours before the rest of us and, as the support vans were still on the road, they had no dry clothes to change into. It was quite a sight walking into the Gloucester Travelodge restaurant and seeing a number of grown men having an impromptu toga party, as they sat about in their towels showing off their leg guns to all the new guests.

Bar sales probably went up but was this so the guests had an excuse to hang around such fine specimens of male athletes or because they needed extra drinks to calm their nerves at such a sight?…One will never know…

Thankful for hot powerful showers and being allowed to keep our bikes in our rooms (there was a rumour that Jonny let his bike have the bed and he took the floor), all the Pegasians scrubbed themselves free of oil and spent the evening enjoying the delights of Gloucester. Some were energised enough to go out of the Travelodge for dinner; others were just happy to gorge themselves on the deep-fried menu in the bar and then, of course, there were those that stayed up until the wee hours and drank around 8 bottles of red wine….Many different recovery tactics….

Ultimately though, we finished the day as winners despite the weather and, as our lycra hung drying in front of all the spare heaters in everybody’s rooms (I remain surprised that no fires were caused) we were all of the same thought…Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day (preferably the day after tomorrow, thanks then)!

Today is my first official lazy day since Alex passed away - I am yet to get out of my pajamas, have watched trash TV most of the day and am dining out on cereal as my main meal of choice. Fear not, I am not regressing, just recuperating…

If arranging The Kaiser Challenge wasn’t enough to push me to exhaustion, cycling the 200 miles got me pretty close and then it was the final dancing till dawn, celebrating my boy’s life on 7th July that eventually toppled me over! There are so many tales to tell that it tires me out just thinking of how to collect them all together but fear not, I will endeavour to give you a flavour of what life on the road as a motley crew of cyclists was like…

On the surprisingly dry morning of 5th July I finally got to see Team Pegasus standing shoulder to shoulder with bikes in hand ready to go. After the support vans were stocked, garmins, water bottles and charity vests distributed and media spoken to, the Pegasians stood together in Norfolk Square, eager to get on the road and face the reality of what was to come.

Split into teams to minimize the chance of anyone getting run over/lost, they looked like a funny but united bunch - whether it was the members of ‘Team Sausage’ who hardly had a road bike nor piece of lycra amongst them, or ‘Team Day’ and their matching pink and blue cycling suits, or even the ‘Fast Team’ (later rebranded to be ‘Speedy Wizards’) who looked like they were fresh out of the Tour De France - everyone was keen, there was a buzz in the air and the love for Kaise was feeding us all energy.

As I stood in front of them, with a bank of supporters behind me, it was then that it all became real. How did we manage to get to this point, 55 cyclists standing in the middle of the square up north, ready to embark upon something great. Blimey. It deserved a moment to breathe it in and so I did, before I took to the megaphone in a bid to motivate the troops prior to going into battle.

FYI - if you haven’t ever spoken into a megaphone before, I would thoroughly advise it…and if you can get one with a siren on it too then that is EVEN better. I think by the end of the trip certain individuals wanted to wrestle it off me but lest to say, they didn’t succeed (I am freakishly strong). It is currently sitting next to me on the sofa ready and waiting for me to drunkenly shout at strangers out my top floor flat window later on, but that’s another blog.

As the ‘Fast Team’ set off to the sound of applause, each team mounted their steeds and took their turn to begin - it was only when we saw Team Sausage go past the square twice that we realized that not all had set off in the right direction! Good start!

Now, I am not sure how many of you have been to Glossop but the only way out is by going up hill. Rest assured that I’m not just talking about your bog-standard gentle inclines but instead hills that could actually double as vertical slides at theme parks…Sure, the fast team pounded their way up them, even with Spokey Joe already having two slow punctures and a spoke missing from his wheels, but I am pretty sure that the other four groups spent the first 30 miles cursing both myself and Kaiser, wondering why the hell they agreed to do this and questioning when it would finally get flat?! The answer was, not for a while…

As the sunburn set into our skin, we all cycled/pushed/dragged ourselves to the top of one hill after another, preying for it to be the last. At one point we even had to carry our bikes as the well planned route took us over a ‘lane’ that wasn’t passable by cars nor road bikes - this is when Team Sausage had their moment and showed off the ability of the sweet-ass suspension and tractor like tyre’s of their mountain bikes (although the glory was short lived as there was, of course, another well tarmac’d hill at the end of it).

The Speedy Wizards, using local knowledge that the rest of us chose to ignore (sorry Lorna!), managed to avoid the toughest hill and were free-wheeling their way to speeds of 58 mph during the rewarding moments of downhill whilst the rest of us were still staring at the tops, not sure whether it was a mirage or not. Special mention has to go to Tash in Team 1 who not only cycled up these hills, but also back down them to help struggling team mates, at one point cycling her bike whilst pushing someone else’s to ensure that they made it to the top! 

Team Day, or Team Gay depending on who you are speaking too, rode gloriously in their matching uniforms, conquering hill after hill. Even the lesser experienced of the group pushed themselves to breaking point and Nick Day (the leader) wanted to make a special mention for Rog & Jedi who, although more used to smoking fags & drinking WKD Blue, drove themselves hard to try and keep up. I didn’t want to let Nick know that this was because watching his bum in lycra was like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey for them…Nick, I am sure your motivational words were partly responsible!

Unfortunately our team didn’t have such a carrot (jokes Charlie, your bottom is enough to make anyone cycle faster - but just in the opposite direction from you) but we did have great banter, two cyclists new to ‘clipping in’ which resulted in an average of 3 hilarious falls a day each whilst being stuck to the bike and a couple of northern lasses who could have given Mr Motivator a run for his money and so we made it to lunch - just.

After the first hill I had to raise my hands in defeat and pass the GoPro Headcam to Lorna ‘I like to sing whilst going up near vertical inclines’ Fisher as, although it only weighs less than a pound, with every metre I could feel my head being dragged closer to the floor. This would not have made good footage and I think the soundtrack of my extremely heavy breathing may have, while hilarious for a bit, got a little freaky as time went on!

We all regrouped (bar Team 1) at the ‘lovely’ pub on route, by this point no one cared about the sticky floor/hair in food/strange locals as there was a mix of elation and exhaustion knowing that the first 40 miles - which were to be the hardest of the entire route - were done. As food was inhaled out in the garden, tops were whipped off (due to the excitement over the unexpected rays of sunshine that were being cast down, many of us seemed intent on trying to achieve optimum dehydration and sunstroke before getting on the bikes again as the challenge just wasn’t hard enough you know?!) and lack lustre lunges were done.

Unbeknownst to us, Team 1 were trundling along, being led by the most amazing two ladies - Snix and Tash - who were keeping motivation high/being on hand to wipe away tears/pushing people up hills whilst helping each member achieve their potential. This group included the most determined of individuals with the least amount of experience and the heaviest of bikes, thankfully the Support Van hero that is Rico was on hand to give a cheeky lift or two when the going got too tough but I know that those girls had to be clonked over the head and thrown in at first as they didn’t want to give up - utterly amazing the lot of them.

As we all set off after lunch, one team after another, the route was kind and the miles went past quickly. At one point we did 10 miles in 36 minutes and tempted fate by starting to think about our ‘imminent’ arrival at the hostel…That was until we got to Telford. Bloody Telford.

Let me tell you about Telford, it was basically our final rest place and so when we cycled past the cheery ‘Welcome to Telford’ sign, I air punched. A big triumphant air punch. I was proud and elated that we were nearing the end of our first day - surely food and a hot shower were only a couple of short miles away.

Well, if someone had told me at that point that ‘Welcome to Telford’ (if that is even its real name) actually means ‘Welcome to mile after mile of relentless A road that leads nowhere and - haha - Telford doesn’t even exist’ then I would have done a ‘Sarah Banfill’ and thrown my bike down in a fit of rage, refusing to get back on. It went on forevvvvveerrrrrrrrrr, the light started to dip, as did motivation - I must have inhaled a mars bar for each final mile just to get me through.

We did get there though, cycling through somewhere called Paradise in the finally furlong that really did feel like it could be when we saw a huge mansion with a YHA sign out the front…of course on closer inspection it wasn’t OUR YHA, why would it be - that would be too easy!

On arrival, we high fixed each other, shared congratulations and did a bit of a head count - Team Day were the first there, already gobbling down plates of sausage and mash and Team Sausage were getting the beers in, so other than us there were just Team Snix and the Speedy Wizards to finish…Hmm, a niggling worry worked its way into my head - I knew to expect Team Snix to be a bit delayed but the Speedy Wizards? Even with repeated toilet stops thanks to one small bladdered team member, intent on marking his territory every 5 miles, they hadn’t really been seen for dust throughout the route - even the Kaisers (who followed the route, providing invaluable motivational cheers along the way) said that they almost cycled too fast to catch on camera. So where were they?

About 20 minutes or so, Team Snix rolled in to triumphment cheers from all of the Pegasians present (admitably I was in the process of getting the support vans ready to go on a recon mission for them just in case)…But that still left the Speedy Wizards…

After checking with the YHA staff that they definitely weren’t off having a group shower or anything, I picked up the phone and tried to call Ches, it rang…and rang….and rang…and then,

“Hello”

“Ches?? Are you okay? Where are you?”

And then followed the answer I didn’t want to hear, my worst nightmare for the ride…

“Oh Sarah, there has been a terrible accident….”

“WHAT?”

“We have…….fallen into the pub!!”

Cue a large amount of expletives on my part and promises of physical harm, Ches explained that they had arrived around 1.5 hours ago but not quite made it to the YHA.

Therefore, technically, the Speedy Wizards were last after Day One….a real life tortoise and hare story for you folks….

xx

I am sat in front of the keyboard, unsure of where to start - with three days of cycling, one evening of celebration and a million and one stories to process it is going to be a hard task and so over the next few days I will release some snippets of what was, and will be forever, a truly amazing time.

Team Pegasus rose to the challenge with smiles of their faces and love in their heart, cycling through the blistering heart and the pouring rain we all reached the finished line in the same way as we started, together.

The evening that followed was one of triumph and sadness, celebrating Kaiser’s life in a way that he would have just adored - dancing until the sun rose and drinking the bar dry.

There was so much love in Fairy Toot for him, that his energy could be felt by all there. I am not sure what I believe in when it comes to faith, religion and the afterlife but I really felt that at the moment of the release of the balloons that he was with us, watching us all make promises to him to improve our own lives and what we get out of them.

He was proud. He was smiling. He is loved.

And we are here! After a stressful few hours in which our luxury coach with toilet and trailer had turned into two minibuses and an old transit van we have finally made it.

Sunny Glossop has let not one but two buses of Southerners in its doors without us even showing our passports…So far the observations through the windows of the vehicles have been along the lines of ‘oh sh*t how big is that hill?!’ and ‘look at that stream - oh, its a road’.

The weather looks to be against us and the journey will be a challenge but excitement is running high and the support is immense but now sleep must come and so my words are few….I just wanted to say that The Kaiser Challenge has now officially begun!

Bring. It. On

Not enough time for many words as the to-do list is still long and we are now on proper countdown for the off… The action list for the Celebration of Life evening has been dished out to the Team Pegasus Goundforce Team. Seeing as this team is made up of my mum and all those who are currently (conveniently) pregnant and not able to ride, I hope that the stress isn’t too much as, although my Uncle Pete and Aunty Gill are a dab hand with calving, I don’t think they want to have to set up a labour ward on the farm…

Raffle prizes have been collected, coaches have been booked, muscles are being stretched and bags are being packed (lightly I hope - I would like to be able to squeeze a cyclist or two in amongst the luggage in the support vans!).

I am having a number of panicked calls a day from cyclists/support team members and so my motivational speeches are getting some good practice - all ready for stepping up to the  megaphone on Thursday morning in order to drive us up the first hill..

And whilst all craziness is going on, the donations keep climbing - we are now over £29,000! If we can get to £30,000 before the starting shot has been fired then I think it would be great motivation for the cyclists…hint hint….

xx

Each day is hard and the moments seem so long

But blink for a moment and they have just gone.

Pain so real, incomprehensible to bear

Searching your world to see if they are there.

Tears come and go, as does a smile

You wish for the anxiety to leave, just for a while.

You heart still remains to beat

Even when you wish to admit defeat.

A roller coaster ride you didn’t pay to go on

Without your fiance, friend, brother uncle or son.

But what lifts your spirits, heart and mind

Is when you turn round and look to find,

A world of people supporting you

Believing solidly in all you do.

For their talks, hugs, laughs and love

Is strength from him, direct from above,

Driving you forward, keeping that head upright

Making you belief you can, another day, fight.

Less than two weeks to go people and still a to do list as long as my arm to sort, anyone who knows any physios please get in touch asap - I can only fit a certain number of tired cyclists in the support vans so some sports massage will help to reduce the chance that everyone will want to climb in on the second day!

A quick few thank your and shout outs;

Thank you to Tom Mutter for helping get The Cardiomyopathy Association and The Kaiser Challenge on to the electronic screens of the London Underground between 25th June - 8th July. This will bring the disease, cause and charity to 1.8 million people in the first week alone;

Big up to Ali of The Kings Arms, Whiteladies Roads, where Kaiser’s photos will be displayed from this Saturday - so very excited about seeing them on the walls;

Much appreciation to Karen Simpson for making Kaiser Challenge water bottles for all of our cyclists and support teams;

Ta very much to Renault for agreeing to sign write the van they have donated with our logo and web address;

And finally - thank you to all who have not used us hitting the £20k mark as an excuse to stop donating, keep pushing and telling people Alex’s story. It still needs to be spread and awareness raised…oh and a few more pennies in the pot never hurt :)

Much love

xx