Thaw? I Should Thay Tho!

Bitterly cold ride today. 20mls at a sedate 17.5mph. Back through Skelton on Ure and the pain of thawing feet out in a hot bath. Sitting at my desk I'm glad to be home with a hot coffee, but where are the biscuits?

Another New Me

The past couple of days of fine weather have seen me haring round the countryside trying to dislodge some of the accumulated Christmas blubber, but to no avail. You'd think after two whole days I'd be able to see a difference wouldn't you? Anyway - very dissapointing!
Oh, and Hi to Lynne who I met on the road today (literally!) Thanks for your encouragement and kind words.

New Year, New Bike, New Me!

The icy weather has kept me off the bike for some time and the ever decreasing time slots between eating and drinking over Christmas and the new year have meant that I've also neglected the gym so that now I find my beloved (Ha ha) lycra is stretched to breaking point.
On the up side I do have a shiny new bike; a Scott CR1 Pro. It has a featherlight, carbon monocoque frame and forks, weighing about 7 kilos and an incredibly slick Shimano Ultegra drive train which makes it very fast. Unfortunately my rickety old body can't keep up with it which means the bike arrives home from a ride ten minutes before I come hobbling and spluttering through the door. Anyway here she is in all her waspish glory:

Thought you might like a closer look at what is laughingly called a saddle!

24hr Ride

Sadly, Martin my cycling partner had to drop out of the ride at the last minute due to pressure of work. The ride has been postponed until March and I have a new partner Damien (below) and support crew organised.....Bring it on!

The New Challenge:

How far can David cycle in just 24 hrs? David and friend Martin Lewin of Kudu Bikes in Hawes are setting off at the end of September to cycle non stop for 24 hrs. They will be aiming for the south coast of England. Please sponsor if you can at www.justgiving.com/davidstead

BBC Community Heroes

Many thanks to the children of the Education Village for nominating me for the BBC Community Heroes award. I collected it at a ceremony on Saturday and as well as the children I'd like to thank all those who helped with the Vienna ride; in particular Phil and Jenny my support crew, Martin at Kudu Bikes in Hawes and of course Becky, my constant support.

BBC Community Heroes Project

I was invited into school last week to be interviewed by the children about the ride to Vienna and the sensory playground for the BBC Community Heroes Project . We had a great time and the children did a fantastic job of the filming and interview so a big thank you to Robyn, Courtney, David and of course, Joan.

Below: David films the soft play area, Courtney at the newsdesk and Robyn tries out the slide.

Progress

Since my last post we have been working hard on the playground and have now added a soft play area (our most costly single item at around £3,000), which has made a fantastic difference to the children's play. We have also added a trampoline, balancing pole, safety fencing and seating areas.

The play area is used daily by many children who would otherwise have had to play indoors or under constant supervision outside. Thank you so much to those who have helped with donations and support.............David

Into Action

We may not have quite finished but the kids are playing on the slide already! The sense of achievement that I'd expected when I completed the ride and didn't get has been realised now that the children are actually benefiting from the effort.

Joe and Kieran Crack On.

We had another visit from the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick today: Joe came back and brought Kieran with him. Together we managed to finish the Climbing frame/slide, built the swing, and did a good deal of work on the fence. Without them the work would take so much longer and their presence helps to keep me motivated so thanks again guys.

Phase 1 of the fence is almost completed at last. It is a long job, though oddly therapeutic. It could almost be pleasurable but for the fact that most of the skin has been removed from my fingers! The top of the fence will be trimmed into a kind of wave pattern in order to introduce some curves into what otherwise can be an unremittingly linear space.

Joe and Kieran assembling the double swing. C'mon lads, you can't play in there, There's work to do.