A bad day for the Old Portlians CC and cycling generally

The unbridled joy that normally surrounds the Old Ports Saturday potter around the lanes of the North Downs south of London, taking in the villages of Downe, Knockholt, Halstead and Shoreham, was shattered this morning by a crash that left one of our number, Phil Pearson, needing to be airlifted straight to King's College Hopital, London. The accident happened as we descended through Knockholt village. Phil hit a large pothole, lost control of his bike and careered into a parked car sustaining what appeared to be serious head injuries. The air ambulance landed in a field down the Halstead road and the doctors sprinted carrying their bags all the way to the scene, some 400 meters to the crash site. They clearly were taking no chances.

It brought it home to the rest of us how treacherous it is on the roads at the present time when there is not just other vehicles to worry about but also the very surface we are riding on. So much of the tarmac is simply appalling and, as today showed, downright dangerous. We await news on our man's condition.

The unforgiving minute

Only a few weeks away from the "off" but where's my fitness, that's what I want to know? I've been getting the miles in regularly in recent weeks but it hasn't added up to anything that inspires confidence in taking on a challenge the magnitude of this 2000 miler. I'm advised it might be due to the 'orrible 'ay fever I've had of late. Whatever it is, if things don't change I'm in for a tough month and that's for sure. But as I' ve shown many times before, "cometh the hour, cometh the man" so I remain ever hopeful that all will turn out just fine.

Sponsorship is flowing in nicely. We are half way towards our £10,000 initial target already yet there are a good many people who have indicated that they are going to donate but just haven't got round to it. "You won't forget now , will you?

It has been a lovely sunny morning but I've seen none of it. I've been on the computer for 4 hours now dealing with issues to do with ensuring my bike is in order, that we shall have correct and sufficient kit and that my blog is functioning properly. I've never come across anything so time consuming as sitting at a computer. It is time to get on that saddle and hit the road ... but first perhaps I should just check my Face Book ... mmm

Won't it be luverly

One of the more unpleasant aspects of my 2008 End-to-End ride was suffering with painfully cold hands and feet whenever the weather turned nasty. This time, however, this shouldn't be a problem for any of us thanks to the generosity of BreezeBlockers Ltd who are providing each member of the team with two of their innovative products for keeping warm on a bike.

In brief, the first of these products is a pair of extremely lightweight cowls, which attach to the tops of the handle bars into which the hands are placed. Here, out of the wind, the interior of the pod creates a warm micro climate around the hands. We are looking forward to being able to quickly fix them to our bikes whenever there is a likelihood of our running into wintery conditions (and trust me, "wintery" can and does happen in June/July in some of the areas we shall be going through.) The second item is a sheath, which fits over the toes of cycling shoes and, likewise, protects against the cold and adverse conditions generally.

For more info click here Breeze Blockers

We have also been provided with a supply of toiletries which do not need water to be effective. Having the facility to clean or just freshen up at any time or place will, I am sure, prove its worth. The company making this possible is Waterless Ltd