And we're off..............

Richard and i took to the roads yesterday...our first training weekend is complete. On Saturday we did i nice wee loop in the black isle 16.5miles and on Sunday a run along the beach then a cycle from Avoch to Ardendrain 21.5 miles............not a bad start for a novice. The wind was wild and pretty chilly but after half way it eased up.  No aches or pains so thats a good sign, all those relentless hours in the gym and fanatical spinning classes are coming in handy. There was just one big  hill before mum and dads that almost beat me (did i really fall off at the top or did i imagine that ?!?!?!)  anyway, the thought of haggis, neeps and tatties kept me going. Looking forward to next weekend already.... all i can think about is routes .... routes with hills, routes with busy roads,  routes with quiet roads, 20, miles , 30 miles, 40 miles ................ i can see i'm going to turn into a cycling bore over the next six months .............

From Morroco to Munlochy...

Well what can i say ? ..........Missing luggage, raided spa's and a sickness bug to end all sickness bugs but all that to one side i still have to say.......... Morrocco Rocks  !! I'd recommend it to anyone so long as you can keep your wits about you. .........So home i've come laiden with half of aladdins cave and eager to start cycling....Fingers crossed that by Sataurday i'll be back to a fit and healthy lou and ready for my first of many long training days :-)

Nothing to do with anything ......................

This has nothing to do with cycling, training, planning, fitness or fundraising this is merely me telling the world i'm leaving on a jet plane (albeit an old, creaky, no leg room, wind up ryanair plane ) for a long weekend of indulgence in Marrakech with the lovely and beautiful Jo Jo, the last one before the serious training starts next week. The only biking i'll be doing over the next few days is quad biking in the desert,  .....yipppeeeeee    Je voudrais un grand verre de vin et une nuit de danse .....Au revoir mes amis.....just practicing my french for when i get there :-) 

Three becomes four ..............and August become July.....

Our departure date has been brought forward three weeks to July 30th in the hope that the weather may be kinder to us in Scotland and also it allows our team to grow from three to four. I'm delighted that we have a new cyclist doing the whole lejog trip, not only will i be reunited with the legend that is Julie Meanwell (cant wait to see you honey its been far far far too long) we are also going to be put through our paces by the lean mean running machine that is Richard (hope your blushing)....welcome on board, go easy on us though and no phone calls to say you're in John o Groats when we're still in England. ;-)

The Kids of Kolkata ...........The serious bit ...............

 Kids of Kolkata Dochas (Gaelic for Hope) Trust was set up in 2008 but the work has been going on informally since 2005.  This is a Christian based Trust helping the children on the streets of Kolkata.   Many of the children have no family and try to get food in whichever way they can, sometimes by begging, stealing, scrounging for food in the rubbish and sometimes resorting to prostitution.  Many of these children become addicted to drugs at a very early age some as young as 5 or 6.

Our aim is to help in practical ways by getting the children into places of safety where they can be educated and break the cycle of poverty and abuse, and to show them that they are loved. We also support work which tries to give employment to the sex workers of Kallighat – these women are not there by choice, some no more than 11 or 12, some have been stolen from their families and some have been sold by their families.  It is a very evil place with over 20000 sex workers but little by little small projects are being started to teach these women skills to enable them to get work away from the sex trade.

Every year we go to Kolkata to make sure that the work is progressing and to see the growing number of women and children who are being given above all else hope for the future.  No expenses for travel or accommodation are paid by the Trust so all of the funds raised go in their entirety to make a difference to the future of the Kids of Kolkata.

Allan and Pamela Lemon (AKA my mum and dad )



Bikes and me and a little bit more

I’m not sure if i should admit to this but i don’t actually have the best history with bikes.When i was ten i went away on a bike ride i shouldn’t have been on, up a very big hill i shouldn’t have been up. Half way down the hill off i came, making a right old mess of my knees, elbows, chest, and face not only that but i completely ruined my all time favourite dress !!  Fast forward twenty years and i think its a good idea to hire myself a wee bike to go for a leisurely ride over the golden gate bridge, yet again on the decline off i come and miss fracturing my skull by half an inch..

I’m under no illusion that this is going to be easy but this isn’t so much about the physical challenge .....this one’s personal!

So my first port of call was a trip to see my dad, to ask if he would drive the route along side me and sort out the logistics. In all honesty, probably the only man who can get away with telling me what to do and how to do it. With him on side i was ready to find some wheels and a week later i found myself in the local bike shop being bamboozled with bike jargon. I had visions of buying a nice sturdy mountain bike, however what i found myself leaving with, was a very light, slim and expensive road bike. Geez so many gears ...so little time!

As the planning evolved we found more people wanting to help in various different ways, whether that be through fundraising, offers of cycling part of the journey with me, local knowledge for the route and training partners. Even before my first official training day had started i already had so many people to thank.............No turning back now.......let the fun begin ;-)