LegionLive

Congratulations to all those who have completed the P2P 2011, I am sure you all enjoyed it and the aches and pains are being quickly forgotten in the hotel bar.  I am sure you will have a wonderful dinner tonight in Paris

My rehabilitation continues and soon I will be back in the saddle and getting into shape for 2012.  Hopefully we will have more luck with Team Tewkesbury 2012 and we can get back to the serious business or raising money and the profile of The Royal British Legion

Good morning

This time last year I was completing an interview with BBC radio Wiltshire prior to setting off to Tewkesbury Town Centre to start the Pedal to Paris 2010.  Unfortunately this year I had to take the decision to withdraw when it was apparent that I was unable both physically and personally to put in the necessary work to complete the six days cycling.

At the start of the year we had six cyclists entering as Team Tewkesbury 2011 but as the year has progressed we have all had to pull out for varying reasons.  It has been a very disappointing year for me as far as cycling is concerned and today is the culmination of that disappointment.

However the failure of 2011 will be the springboard for 2012.  I intend to continue my rehabilitation and get a solid winters training in the gym and get back on the bike in the spring.  I will be inviting cyclists to join Team Tewkesbury 2012 in the coming months and will formally apply for next years event in January.

Good luck to all those who are participating in the Pedal to Paris 2011, you will all have a great time and I look forward to seeing you next year

After too many false dawns the training has finally started to get into a routine. 

It started on Saturday 25 June with Armed Forces Day.  As part of the festivities and as a fund raising opportunity John and I put in five hours and seventy five miles on a bike in the Watson Hall in Tewkesbury.  We were cycling an hour about averaging 15 miles an hour.  It was good to get some miles in the legs but rather dull as we were inside.  The barrier was broken and John and I agreed we had to get down to some serious training as we only have two months left before the event. 

Also you need to remember this is Team Tewkesbury; we don’t just do Greenwich to Paris, we do Tewkesbury to Paris.  That means an extra two days and another 120 miles (give or take).

No time to cycle Sunday as AFD parades and other admin tasks were the priority but on Monday out came the bike and I set off for an 18 miler in what were very warm conditions.  I have to say it was a bit wobblyas I am not used to riding a road bike.  I have only ever riden a tourer or mountain bike but I was convinced during last years ride to get myself a proper road bike.

So earlier this year I bought a second hand road bike off ebay; it seemed pointless buying a new bike if I was not sure I would get on with it.  Drop handlebars when you are 6′ 4″ is not necessarilly a comfortable ride, but then there are professionals almost as tall so it was worth a try.

As I said it was a bit wobbly and the gears not being on the handlebars did not help.  I cannot deny it was a lot more comfortable than I imagined and was certainly a lot quicker and easier to ride faster.

Tuesday I was detemined to get out first thing and get another 18 miles into the legs.  It was much cooler today but more importantly I felt I was getting the balance right; a more confident ride.  Still have some work to do on smoothing out the gear changes; too hard a change led the chain coming off and when I hit a short but steep incline I did not get into the right gear and made it very hard on myself.

None the less we are up and running now and so it is hard work all the way to Paris

So much has happened this year that I have neglected this blog and that is unforgivable.  Team Tewkesbury will still be cycling to Paris this year although we have had a number of people pulling out through either injury or work commitments. 

Training has not gone well so far but we are not deterred and as we get to the final couple of months the pressures of time and the need to fundraise add to the problems, but problems are only challenges to overcome.

We have still not finalised our route to Greenwich Park yet as we will be adding two days to the cycle and riding from Tewkesbury

Today, Sunday, I have to finalise arrangements for a Christening in the Tewkesbury RBL Club as well as attend the Gloucestershire County Drum Head service in Gloucester City.  Add to that produce a poster for Tewkesbury Armed Forces Day next week and continue AFD preps and update the website; and no doubt a number of other little jobs along the way.

Somewhere in all of that I want to get on the bike and get some training done, but I am sure there are many of you out there with the same issues.  Just keep going, it is worth it in the end

This has been a busy week following the success of the inaugural meeting of Team Tewkesbury 2011 on Monday evening in the RBL Club in Tewkesbury.  At the moment it looks like we will be a team of six this year and there is room for more should you wish to join. 

There are many lessons learnt from last years cycle and we expect this year to be bigger and better than 2010.  This is a special year for The Royal British Legion as it celebrates it’s 90th anniversary and so it is an additional inspiration for us to raise more money to help those ex-servicemen and women less fortunate than ourselves.

To help spread the message we are building a website as well as a dedicated Team Tewkesbury facebook page, alongside this blog and twitter.  Furthermore we are looking at producing a newsletter for potential sponsors and fundraisers.  Should you receive a copy then please forward it on to as many people as you can. 

Remember as well please, it is not the big donations that make the difference but all the five and ten pounds that add up to making the total.  Every penny counts and no donation is too small.  As soon as we have confirmation from P2P HQ who the preferred donation forum is we will set up the Team Tewkesbury 2011 page.

Thank you for your continued support, remember it is not about us but those less fortunate than ourselves who need the Legion’s help now or at any time in the future.  We just have the fun of cycling.

On Monday night we had an excellent inaugural meeting of Team Tewkesbury 2011.  We have six cyclist confirmed with another two potentials so this year it will be a true Team Tewkesbury.  As last year we will cycle from Tewkesbury to Paris, the first two days will be on our own until we join up with the others at Greenwich for the main event.

We will not be going via Wootton Bassett this year but take a route across the Cotswolds and round the north of London, at least that is the plan at this stage.  Lots of preparation to do as there are many lessons learnt from last year but I have no doubt we will make it bigger and better and most importantly raise money for a great cause, and have fun doing it.

Come along for the ride

It has come to that time again and this year there will be more cyclists in Team Tewkesbury than just me.  If you are interested in cycling, fundraising or just supporting then please come to the Legion club in Tewkesbury on Monday 17 January at 8.15pm to find out what it is all about.  Attendance at Monday’s meeting does not commit you to participating.  Please bring anyone else you know who is interested. 

If you cannot attend then please let me know so that I can add you into future messages

I look forward to seeing or hearing from you

Peter

Today was a very special day in Gloucester, the army team participating in March for Honour passed through Gloucester and so we had a short but poignant ceremony at the war memorial.  Just to add to the fun rather than drive the ten miles to Gloucester I was persuaded to cycle by one of my colleagues on the Pedal to Paris 2010.  The fact that I had to do it on a mountain bike just added to the workout.  Accompanying Toby and myself was Andrew who is already in training as he will participate in Pedal to Paris 2011. 

So the momentum is already beginning and we will be getting together soon to plan next years extension; London ot Paris is just not enough for us at Team Tewkesbury

This week the Tewkesbury Business Breakfast Club was hosted by Cotteswold Dairy and while there we were given a tour of the dairy.  I was particularly keen to see the process as Cotteswold had generously sponsored me this year.  Roger and George Workman were very keen to hear about the Pedal to Paris and I promised to return to get photographs with them.  I was very impressed with the production and some of the facilities were amazing.  The dairy produces 1,000,000 litres of milk a week  and you cannot imagine how many plastic containers of all sizes are going through the production line at any one time. 

The dairy still provides 25% of its milk in glass bottles (as opposed to the national average of 10%) and they have a camera installed that checks the bottles for cleanliness, so any marks on the bottle immediately see it pulled out for the operator to check; it is a very thorough system.  The overall cleanliness and attention to hygene is very impressive and you can rest assured that every effort is taken to reduce any contamination risk. 

Cotteswold Dairy still deliver milk to the door and the introduction of organic milk delivered by electric milk float is about as green as you can get.  Furthermore all the milk comes from 46 local farms, none being more than 35-40 miles from the dairy.  Channel Island milk (Jersey and Guernsey herds) are another speciality and if you are buying CI milk (Gold Top) nationally then it is coming from Cotteswold Dairy.

Thank you once again to Roger and  George for hosting us and all the staff for their warm and friendly welcome

Following on from the successful participation of Team Tewkesbury in the 2010 Pedal to Paris, at our post event party last Friday several people have expressed an interest in cycling next year under the TT banner.  This is really great news for The Royal British Legion in  Tewkesbury and the wider Gloucestershire area as well as showing that this prestigious event is growing in popularity.  Not sure we will match the numbers of the Green Army but we will certainly give them a run for their money lol.

I will be looking at holding a meeting next month to establish how many people are taking part and to highlight the administration and fundraising effort required to be successful.  We have not finished fundraising for this years event but the total raised will be the target to beat next year. 

Most importantly we will be showing once again that we are doing our bit, no matter how small, to help those servicie veterans in need.  You can still contribute at www.justgiving.com/teamtewkesbury and if you are interested in participating (be it cycling or fundraising) next year then please email me at teamtewkesbury@hotmail.com

Thank you for your continued support