English
Daily Blog – Cycle 250 (From Nottingham to Stratford)
Day two, what can I say, we made it to Stratford! I have never felt so weak after exercise in my life than when we arrived in Stratford and I stood next to my bike, contemplating taking the few steps to the mini bus where everyone had gathered. 87 miles on the road today. To be able to say that now brings about a sense of pride but my legs are aching just thinking about it. 
We began the day at the Nottingham army barracks. Having slept in bunk dorms on plastic mattresses, we were required to sort our bedding and sweep the floor before we set off on the road. All this at about 7am. Need I say more? We set off towards Loughborough as the sun was beginning to shine, a nice sight to get us going. Sometimes the group was energised, usually after a good meal (of which we had three before midday – including 28 vegetarian curries to go thanks to the support of a few local businesses!) and of course on the down hill sections of the route. Thankfully there were more of those than the steep climbs, and feeling more confident on the bikes, the team weren’t afraid to push each other with speed on the slopes! Laura Beardsmore had one very close call, taking out the grass bank at high speed and wobbling her way along before finding a clean path back onto the road, phew!
We met a famous ex-player of Leicester City, Alan Birchenall, at our pitstop in the city centre. It turned out that he and his fellow footballers at Chelsea and Leicester used to play volleyball as a training exercise. He did admit thought that the players used to cheat and get a bit competitive. Maybe we should have a game on the pitch at a match some time and show the football fans another sport they could get to love. We’re not just about raising money, we want to raise the profile of the sport and show people what a fabulous, exciting, spectacular game this can be. 
The afternoon leg of the day was an exhausting five-hour-long stint which saw a mixture of beautiful country roads and busy duel carriageways. The team avoided moments of tiredness with a few sing-along’s and Eye Spy games, just enough to keep us going.
The fall of the day without doubt goes to Lizzie Ried, who, thanks to her volleyball skills, was able to roll straight out of a tumble that was rather impressive on the eye. Along with Lizzie’s bad luck, we lost our way on a couple of occasions, speeding down hills, only to have to ride straight back up again. Talk about an anti-climax!
Overall, a hard day’s work but well worth the effort. The support and kind donations from the public continue to drive us along. Quote of the day goes to Tash Brewer, who at 8am was feeling inspired and said “I might join the Tour de France next year” However, come 5pm the same day, she said, “I have never wanted to get anywhere as much as I want to get to Stratford right now!”
Signing out, half way there!!!
Jo Healy
