North London Hospice Sponsered Cycle
Team Flamble Raise Funds for the North London Hospice
 Sunday, 24th June. The weather is overcast and there is a steady drizzle covering everything in a fine mist. One hundred and seventy miles away at 7am Greg leaves his home in Crewe and drives down the M6 and then transfers to the M1 before getting stuck in the roadworks that have made life around J8 to J11 so interesting for the last couple of years. Greg now realises that his dream of having a 'not any breakfast' but a 'M&S Simply Food breakfast' is rapidly disappearing and he will consider himself lucky to imbibe rain water. He calls David to discover that he has only just regained compus mentis and is readying himself to leave his home after conning Thomas into collecting him. Meanwhile, over the other side of London down in darkest Bexley, James is waiting for the train to take his bike and him into central London so that he can then transfer and travel
out to St. Albans.
By 10am, both Greg and James have checked in and are waiting for their colleagues, who will only have travelled around 20 miles, to turn up. But they do and the happy band (ahem) register and get ready to start.
10:30am. They are off. But not for long. They stop off at Thomas's car and get rid of some of the surplus clothing and now set off again. In the early jostling for position, David gets carried away with the speed of his ultra-lightweight road racer and is going so fast that he is unable to take the corner and has to continue on and go around the large roundabout. By the time he is back on course he is at the rear of the pack and has some work to do.
Thomas is making good progress but Greg has an unusual problem. His seat keeps on dropping lower and lower into the frame of the bike as he begins to look like someone who has stolen a bike off a teenager.
James has now disappeared into the distance. David tries to catch him up but after ten minutes of hard work where he overtakes just about everybody including some cars, he still can not find him. Why is this? James has a mission. This is to finish the ride and get back to Bexley in time for the school fete that afternoon that his good wife Martina has 'volunteered' him for earlier that week in order that he should never forget who is really in charge within their family unit.
As the climb from Radlett to Borehamwood gets hard the drizzle turns to moderately hard rain in order to ensure that there is never a risk that anyone should overheat. As the team cross over the M25 the rain gets heavier and a discussion is started about going back to the car to collect the clothing that was only recently removed. Since no one is keen on this extra journey the decision is instead to continue.
With James going hell for leather in order to ensure a peaceful home life the remaining three decide to swap bikes around. David finds that Greg's bike is the perfect height for him which is strange as Greg is a full six inches taller. Greg finds Thomas's bike easier to ride and Thomas finds the gear system which is combined with the brakes on David's bike hard to fathom. A further change results in David having great trouble reaching the peddles and Thomas cycling with his knees knocking his chin. Meanwhile Greg is on the verge of seriously scaring himself as David's road racer gathers momentum on a down hill stretch. He decides to revert to what he knows best. Unfortunately, his Mazda is now some distance away so he gets back on the bike.
Progress through Barnett and into Finchley is hampered by increasing rainfall but undeterred, they all continue until David and Greg get lost. They know EXACTLY where they are, but also know that this is not where they are MEANT to be. After a short bit of discussion they resolve to buy a Mars bar (between them - last of the big spenders) and find the correct route that takes them into Temple Fortune and the finish in Hampsted Garden Suburbs. Arriving at the finish the above photo was taken by Thomas as Greg and David walk their bikes to the refreshment tent.
Once energy levels return and the numb feeling in the nether regions subsides Greg and Thomas walk to the railway station to get the train back to St. Albans. Simultaneously, suffering from a mid-life crisis and in order to convince himself that he is still the man he never was, David prepares to cycle back to St. Albans. One hour and ten minutes later, David is back at the start and calls Greg to find out when Thomas and he will be arriving. They are still at Hampsted waiting for the train to arrive!
Eventually, re-united the Flamble team head off for some R&R having raised £3,000.
The North London Hospice provides palliative care both within the hospice and within the community. Every year thousands of patients receive respite and comfort from the team of highly trained palliative care specialists along with Grief Counselling for family and friends. This work is costly and 70% is funded through donations. To find out more about the work of the hospice and how you can help please visit http://www.northlondonhospice.org
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