Paul, David and Pi celebrating in Toronto

All four cyclists and the support teams have made it home safe and sound! Paul, David and Pi cycled a total of 540 kms in 6 days which is a brilliant achievement. Yesterday was a very hot day but by the time the team were on their second beer the clouds burst and cooled them down.

Everyone appears extremely fit and well today, if a little tired. David has even gone to work – not sure if it was on his bike though!

I’m sure you all agree that what they have done is outstanding, in every respect. So far they have raised $7 per mile but this still falls short of their goal of $10. Please help them achieve this goal, they and SUDEP Aware deserve every dollar.

Many thanks go to Brian, Deb and her family for supporting the ‘Cycle for Olly’ team. They gave up a lot of their precious time for this event and it means a lot to have that kind of friendship and backing.

Finally, a huge big lovely thank you to everyone who has sponsored so far and to anyone who simply hasn’t got round to it yet.

Just as the Tour de France drew to a close today, so too will ‘Cycle for Olly’. Everyone will emerge a winner, triumphant in their purple t-shirts, including all the support team!

The cyclists had a late start today, perhaps they were relishing their last gas stove breakfast for a while, perhaps they were trying to find the energy for one final push. It seems their trip will end as it started, in extremely warm weather. The forecast for the mid-way point, Oakville is 30C/86F. Tamzin and her girls met the cyclists there to replenish drink and food supplies so that they had enough energy to cover the 85-95 km journey from Grimsby back to Toronto.

Good luck team – not far to go now. You are 2-3 hours away from a fully equipped kitchen, sofa and soft bed!!

On the move

The four cyclists all had an excellent day yesterday. Apparently the sun was shining as they cycled a beautiful route with lots of shade afforded by trees. David’s bike got a puncture but he had all the equipment with him so they were soon on their way again. By the end of the day they had covered an impressive 98 kms in around 5 hours, which brings their total to 467 kms. Wow!

Unfortunately Deb’s parent’s RV wouldn’t fit through the streets around Port Dalhousie, where they all met up for lunch, so they motored straight onto the campsite in Grimsby and started to prepare a feast of a supper for them all. As planned, after lunch the rest of the team travelled onto Jordan, in memory of Deb and Dave’s daughter. Apparently it’s a vineyard area so they bought some local wine to have with dinner.

Paul, Deb, David and Brian reach Grimsby

Natasha and Sophie have been making full use of the facilities at the campsites and Niagara was no exception. Tamzin tells me there was a giant pillow in Niagara and the girls had to be dragged off them when it was time to go. That was after they’d been dragged out of the pool. And why not, it’s their adventure too!

The team are filled with mixed emotions about finishing. They are shattered but elated, happy but sad that today’s cycle brings an end to their adventure. I hear one of the reporters at TV Cogeco asked if this would become an annual event. Perhaps we should let the whole team get some rest before they answer that…

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Yesterday evening’s Cyclists ‘welcome’ hosted by Epilepsy Niagara was another huge success as it provided a forum to exchange information between different parties and it raised the publicity for SUDEP. Three local MPs attended, along with members of Epilepsy Niagara, the general public and TV Cogeco. Speeches were given by the MPs and Paul explained what made him decide to ‘Cycle for Olly’. TV Cogeco also interviewed Tamzin and Paul for their article.

The 'Cycle for Olly' team and Niagara MPs

Tamzin and all the ‘Cycle for Olly’ team are extremely grateful for the amount of support shown by everyone, notwithstanding it was a Friday night. The event also gave the whole team another boost as energy levels by now are starting to dwindle. Special thanks go to Epilepsy Niagara for hosting, arranging the publicity and providing refreshments. If you would like to see TV Cogeco’s coverage of ‘Cycle for Olly’, click here.

Today the cyclists consist of Paul, David, Brian and Deb. Deb and her husband Dave tragically lost their 15 year old daughter, Jordan, to SUDEP on November 2, 2010. Dave and Deb’s parents have come along too to show support so Tamzin and her girls have some company along the way. Deb has come bursting with enthusiasm and energy and so hopefully some of this should rub off on the fairly exhausted cyclists!

The Cyclists at Whirlpool Lookout, Niagara

After packing up tents this morning the cyclists finally set off at 10am. Tamzin and her girls and Dave and Deb’s parents plan to meet up with the cyclists at lunch time today and then head to Jordan Harbour in Jordan in memory of their daughter. They will then head to their campsite in Grimsby, a total of around 100km. Deb’s parents have volunteered to cook supper tonight so the gas stove gets a night off – relief all round!!

Some sponsorship has come in today but we are still looking for $1,500 to reach the target of $5,000. Let’s give the whole team a much needed final push, they totally and utterly deserve it.

'Cycle for Olly' t-shirts out to dry

 

You can’t imagine the effort going into this, by the cyclists and the support team. Olly would be embarrassed by what is being done in her memory, she always put others first. Let’s do her proud.

 

 

 

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After having arrived in Port Maitland in the rain, having put tents up in the rain and slept in extremely wet and cold conditions, the whole team was slightly disappointed to wake to rain this morning. All of a sudden the Nespresso machine switched from being a luxury item to a vital piece of kit, the warmth and caffeine were welcome in equal doses! Light relief came in the form of Brian, who set off from Toronto at 5.30am in order to arrive in camp at 8am! It shows incredible commitment, especially when you consider he planned to cycle 100km with the others today. And intends to cycle through the weekend too. Just brilliant.

Paul, David & Brian about to set off

I say Brian brought light relief, it was more his outfit that did. Compared to Paul and David’s “cycle through the park” outfit of t-shirt and shorts, Brian looked like he planned to do a stage of the Tour de France. Given it was raining when they set off, I suspect Brian felt he had the upper hand! No doubt a third cyclist will renew all enthusiasm, not that it was dwindling that much in the first place but it’s always good to have more company and more banter.

The men's alternative 'Support Truck'

After Tam cooked breakfast on their gas burner (not easy with the rain coming down), the men helped pack the tents up and set off around 9.30am. It was so damp and miserable that Natasha and Sophie retreated to the car to watch a film whilst Tamzin cleared up. They then drove around replenishing supplies before heading to the next camp site in Niagara. Here they met up with another friend of theirs, Deb. She is in Niagara with her husband, parents and their RV (campervan). Apparently Tamzin hasn’t seen the girls since they arrived as they have been eyeing up alternative sleeping options in the warm, dry RV!! Deb plans to join the men tomorrow and cycle the last two legs all the way to Toronto. It’s another demonstration of how amazing people are, to willingly sacrifice their time like this. Will the boys be intimidated by Deb’s clip-in cycling shoes I wonder …

Printed with permission

As for the cyclists, they covered 101 kms today, over a period of 7.5 hours. They took longer than expected as just after lunch David’s wheel broke. As luck would have it, they’d passed a bike shop about 2km back so they were only delayed by an hour trying to get it fixed. Nevertheless, this delay meant that there was not enough time to go to the campsite for a rest and freshen up before the Cyclists ‘welcome’. Instead, they made the most of the time to take in the incredible sights of Niagara Falls. When I caught up with them standing beside the Falls, they sounded really cheery. Apparently the sun was shining and the route they had taken was the most picturesque so far. I have no idea how they are doing it. They must be so utterly exhausted. In fact, I have to admire them all, it’s not easy what they are doing and yet all the talk is so positive and upbeat.

As I type, everyone is at the Cyclists ‘welcome’, hosted by Epilepsy Niagara. It promises to be another fabulous event and one that will bring the spotlight again to Epilepsy and SUDEP. It’s all excellent publicity and is yet another demonstration of the type of thing that SUDEP Aware does. They only need another CAD$1,700 to reach their goal – please consider sponsoring them if you haven’t already!

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Their camp site in Port Rowan

I am very pleased to say that my Dad, Tamzin, David and the girls appear to be very happy campers! They did more than just survive the night under canvas, apparently they all emerged refreshed and ready to go and neither of the men complained about aches or pains. I think the fact that the campsite turned out to have a pool helped things. Everyone made use of it and it made for a welcome distraction from all the various stresses of the day. Mind you, David did take steps to ensure he wasn’t going to be totally stressed by his camping experience. Not one to be without his coffee, despite having to leave behind a bag full of camping gear and food as it wouldn’t fit in the car, David produced his Nespresso machine after supper. Oh to have seen Tamzin’s face..

Before the rain set in

As Tamzin and the girls drove off to find the campsite in Port Maitland, she found Paul and David on the roadside, taking a rest and looking rather exhausted. They all decided to take a break and recharged over a late lunch. You can see them here looking far more cheerful than I would be feeling! Their morale definitely took a hit later though as the rain caught up with them and was then compounded with a gruelling head wind.

Natasha & Sophie having fun despite the rain!

They arrived at the campsite half an hour ago, having completed 109 kms in 6 hours 3 minutes of cycling. They are pretty tired and extremely damp but have been buoyed with news that sponsorship has now reached $3,303 and there’s a dry forecast for tomorrow! It definitely makes up for the rain and exhaustion and the prospect of the rain drumming on their tent all night (my words, not theirs!). Tomorrow Paul and David will be joined by a friend of David and Tamzin, Brian. He plans on cycling with them all the way back to Toronto. I just hope he brings extra Nespresso capsules.

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The cyclists have not long reached their destination, Port Rowan and despite a fairly sleepless night last night have arrived feeling very buoyant and upbeat. Today they completed a staggering 123km in 5 hours 50 minutes of cycling! It’s 28km further than they anticipated cycling but they don’t seem to have minded. I think they have drawn a lot of confidence from today, it bodes really well for the next few days. Well done, chaps, that’s 159.5km so far!

Printed with permission

In terms of how the day went, the cyclists left St Thomas fairly early in a far cooler and drizzly 22C/71F and cycled the half hour to Port Stanley. Tamzin and her girls met up with them there for breakfast. Not exactly strenuous at this point, breakfast on the waterfront, ideal! The picture perfect setting was shattered at 11am though, when the cyclists headed off, leaving Tamzin to run around getting supplies and setting up camp in Port Rowan.

As I write, the tents have been pitched, supplies have been unpacked and they are cooking up a feast at their camp site and are looking forward to some well earned rest.

Tomorrow the men are due to cycle 105km to Port Maitland so they will need some good quality sleep. Tamzin plans to find an internet café so that she can pass on some photos. That is after everything has been packed away in the car of course – it’s not easy moving house every day for 5 days!

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What an incredible day the team has had!! My Dad, Tamzin, David and their two girls arrived in London around 11am in tremendous heat and humidity. Despite this, there was lots of enthusiasm all round as members of the Epilepsy Support Centre donned ‘Cycle for Olly’ t-shirts and hosted a fabulous ‘Send Off’ at The Rick Berg House at 11.30am. Members of the public were there, including two other families bereaved by SUDEP.

The 'Send Off'

Team work

Everyone had a chance to exchange information over refreshments, including with two local radio stations, more 103.9 and 1031 Fresh FM. The Epilepsy Support Centre really did them proud and provided an excellent forum to launch ‘Cycle for Olly’. I know the whole team would like to say a huge big thank you to them. For more information, see the Epilepsy Support Centre’s Facebook page, click here.

Amazing generosity

Before the cyclists braved the midday heat and set off for the first leg of their adventure, Tamzin and her team were presented with a staggering CAD$5,000 cheque for SUDEP Aware from the Rick Berg Fund. It was a wonderful surprise and an amazing display of generosity. That’s another huge big thank you from the team!

Ready for off!

Now I know I’m British and us British like to talk about the weather but honestly, I think it’s worth mentioning. Tamzin told me that the heat today was unbelievable and she didn’t know how Paul and David managed to cycle in it. It turns out that London (Ontario) broke a 48 year old record with a staggering 35C/95F today. Not only that, the Environment Agency have issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Niagara and a good part of Ontario. It’s going to make cycling and sleeping under canvas even more challenging and I wish all the team a huge amount of luck!

Ready, Steady, Go!!

About the cycling… Paul and David covered 36.5km today in 1 hour 59 minutes and 17 seconds! They almost didn’t start as their only map blew away just as they were about to set off. Much to the amusement of everyone gathered, my Dad dived into the road after it! Apparently it was well worth retrieving as navigating south was far more complex than they’d anticipated. The men are looking forward to arriving in Port Stanley tomorrow and simply following the edge of Lake Erie! Let’s hope the weather behaves…

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Printed with permission

As I write, the team are on their way to London, Ontario for the start of their 6 day, 500km cycle, raising awareness of SUDEP as they go and raising funds so that SUDEP Aware can continue to do its excellent work. So far they have raised 49% of their goal of $5,000 and I have no doubt they will achieve their target as more people hear about their adventure and realise what an amazing thing they are doing. There has been a huge amount to organise, from buying and testing out the camping paraphernalia to getting the bikes ready & arranging their transport to arranging publicity and liaising with the epilepsy organisations. It is so exciting that the time is almost here!! Their TomTom says they are going to arrive in 30 minutes, in good time to offload their bikes and prepare for the ‘Send Off’, hosted by the Epilepsy Support Centre at 11.30am.

Following an interview with my Dad last Thursday, Niagara This Week have today published an article on the ‘Cycle for Olly’ event. Take a look by clicking here. Hopefully this means that the Cyclists ‘welcome’, hosted by Epilepsy Niagara on Friday July 20th will draw some crowds and lots of publicity so that more people can be informed about epilepsy, specifically SUDEP. Mind you, Niagara as a whole seems to be very supportive of the whole event. It has now been advertised on another Neighbourhood News network, 610 CKTB. It’s all great news and testament to the good work these epilepsy organisations do.

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Now how about some flies...

It seems activity is at fever pitch, it’s all hands to the pump and everyone is working hard to get ready for Tuesday. Well, everyone except Pi who is apparently suffering in the heat and has taken to directing everyone from his chair. If you are wondering what he is wearing, he has upcycled a ‘Making Sense of SUDEP.org’ bracelet into a sweat band!! ‘Making Sense of SUDEP’ is a campaign being run by SUDEP Aware to spread awareness and understanding of SUDEP. If you would like to help spread the word about SUDEP, there are some suggestions on their web page, click here.

Back to the preparations, the bikes are now ready and have been fitted with their odometers. A special mention must go to Ollie’s Cycle & Ski shop. They very generously donated bottles and bottle holders to the cyclists (as shown here). Their only connection is to share the same name as Olly so their generosity is extremely touching.

Putting up a tent is child's play..

In terms of the tents, it seems that my family will not be one of the hundreds of thousands calling on YouTube for a tutorial after all! I am told they went up and down without a hitch. I wonder. Tamzin says her daughters can be seen here fully trained up for tent duty but it seems more likely that Sophie is in fact screaming to be let out before Natasha pulls the ‘implode’ cord.

On a more serious note, with an incredibly high humidity, a possibility of rain and current forecast of 32C/89.6F in London on July 17th it’s not going to be easy cycling, let alone sleeping under canvas. It’s going to be a very tough job for the cyclists and support team and I think what they are about to undertake is amazing. Do sponsor them, they deserve every penny, not just for this challenge but for the work that SUDEP Aware does.

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