Sobering Sunday.

(My fundraising Daughters Poppy and Daisy)

This weeks cycling has taken some what of a back step as I get myself ready for my departure to Houston. Although I don't leave Beverley until Wednesday, and don't Fly from Heathrow until Thursday morning, I have decided to scale down my riding.
Having trained at a high intensity for months now I feel a bit washed out.
More concerning I have a few minor niggling and persistent aches, which wont go away.
I am sure that some rest will do me good and possibly refresh me, well I hope so.
So now I see this time as The calm before the storm !!!!!
As storms usually involve circular revolutions at a high tempo, for long periods, the analogy may be quite apt.
I know that when I arrive in Houston that the training will resume in earnest right up until a couple of days before the Hotter than Hell on the 29th . During that period I will have to acclimatize to the heat and organise some sort of hydration programme.

I have already started my 'Carbo Loading' however I think I have misread the 'handbook.
I have been eating anything I fancy. The trouble is all the things I fancy are not that good for you.
I have also nearly packed my bag, including all of my cycling clothes, which includes my cycling shoes which have been lovingly cleaned.I knew that once they were cleaned it would minimise my temptation to have that one last ride. I guess I could always go to the gym if the guilt of inactivity gets the better of me.
During this sedentary time I have also been concentrating on my fund raising.
My Hotter than Hell participation like most of my rides has a dual role in that I am also raising money for charity.
This year it will be for the Daisy Appeal.
The Daisy Appeal is a local charity launched in 2002 to raise funds to build a medical research centre for Cancer . To date the appeal has successfully raised in excess of £6 million to build, furnish and equip the Centre which was officially opened by the Secretary of State for Health, the Rt. Hon Alan Johnson MP on 25 July 2008.
The Centre, which was a joint initiative with the Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Hull York Medical School (HYMS), consists of a clinical trials unit, teaching accommodation for HYMS, research laboratories, office and conference facilities.
In the UK we have a public health service called the National Health service which has large regional variations in respect of Quality.
If you are an ambitious Dr you will be drawn to the areas of medical excellence which are in the big city teaching hospitals. Likewise if you are an established Dr and seek a certain quality of life there is no comparison between living in say Chelsea (London) to a back water like Hull. In effect the survival rate for us northerners is significantly lower than people living in the more affluent areas.
As such the one of the ways to attract quality facilities and expertise to some of the regional areas is through charity fund raising.
Everybody I know has lost friends and relatives to Cancer. I have lost my father and my children's Grandmother, has recently been treated for Cancer at this very establishment.
My daughter Daisy (14 yrs) is helping with the fund raising and loves the idea that the charity bears her name.
Most people I have spoken to have dug deep into their pockets and have appreciated my work in this fund raising event.
I now reach out to the global community and ask for help and have included a donation page which can be found in the right hand column of my blog 'Just Giving'. or on attached link Daisy appeal
Any donation would be greatly appreciated. USA here I come.