My Just Giving page is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-quince2
My Blog Website page is: https://mquince1.wixsite.com/cyclechallenge
The Born Free Foundation Link is: https://www.bornfree.org.uk
Fundraising In aid of the Born Free Foundation Charity No 1070906
For those who have very kindly donated so far, a huge thank you from me, for those who wish to donate, my just giving link is posted above and I would be very grateful indeed.
Hello everyone, over the last 2 weeks my training has reached a new level, so I wanted to update you all with just 6 weeks to go before I start my challenge. I have achieved some serious distances and am now up in the Highlands of Scotland tackling a very different and stunning landscape. This photo was taken yesterday on a bridge spanning the famous River Spey, with snow capped mountains in the distance.
On Good Friday I left my home on a planned long distance cycle to a village in Oxfordshire called Sulgrave. This was a stiff test of 101 miles with several challenging climbs. This outbound ride took me 9.5 hours but I made it and felt ok on my arrival and also the next morning. I booked into a Pub B&B for the night, before my cycle home the next day.
Easter Saturday was a testing start as I left Sulgrave for home, it was very thick fog (Pea Soupers) and cold, however, I bit the bullet and made a start. I had only cycled a short way when I came across a road closure and diversion, however, my sat nav re-routed me successfully. Due to this my return mileage was 104 in just under 10 hours.
The two routes were tough but with picturesque scenery and some stunning villages through Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire certainly eased the way. When I got home I felt elated and thrilled that I had achieved my aim of completing 'back to back' 100+ miles, which I will need to do of course throughout the 10 days of Land's End to John O'Groats.
This week I am on a family holiday in the Scottish Highlands, Loch Laggan in the Cairngorms, enjoying some very different training and preparation for my challenge ahead. These photos were taken today and show the fantastic scenery that I have been enjoying when out training. It is a great chance for me to tackle some serious hill climbs to try and build up some strength and stamina in my old legs.
My fundraising for the Born Free Foundation is going quite well, with 31% of my £5k target now met. However, I remain a long way short with just 6 weeks to go. I will be the BFF's 'Fundraiser of the Month' for May, with an article published on the BFF website.
Please do visit the above links to view the BFF website, also my upcoming page for May, Here also is a link to a BFF video to view their 2022 performance and achievements, showing where your kind donations go towards and what the funds are used for.
Thank you all, until my next blog, take good care.
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