“Those who dream by day are cognisant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” Edgar Allan Poe
Saturday 30 August 2014
Dorney Lake and my first Triathlon with Arctic ONE
For those of you following my adventures or journey, blog call it what you will, you'll know I'm quite an active person. Since becoming ill back in 95 (notice I say ill as I still have difficulty describing myself as disabled, disabled for me is when you can't do something/anything and it is a phrase or description that I feel can be quite stigmatising, just my opinion, sure other people may see it differently) Anyhoo I have had this recurring (don't know if you would call it a dream) lets just say a thought that I wanted to run. Although as a fit and healthy person I was never an athlete I just enjoyed trotting around. I regularly ran about whilst delivering letters and packages as a postman, something to which my old work colleagues would testify to.
Friday 29 August 2014
Very kindly asked to write an article for the Empower Magazine... Sweet!
I always tell people I'm just an ordinary guy. I'm no elite athlete by any measure. My take on this though is that in some ways this helps to inspire more people just like me. People who may be struggling to come to terms with their disabilities, or wanting to get into something new. I hope they can take a look at me and just think "he's just and ordinary lad, if he can do it then maybe I can".
And so I was contacted by Chris Swindells the Production Manager at Publishing Magazines Ltd. Chris firstly asked if I could provide him with a few images and a little background. As we chatted via email this then progressed on to writing a few lines and then eventually Chris asked you know what can you just send me around 300 words describing what's going on in your life. Well I tried my best to get it to 300, however went slightly over to around 404 or so. Chris said the piece I wrote was perfect, so I guess this is what you will get to read in the link below.
http://issuu.com/publishing_magazines_ltd/docs/empower_magazine_issue_5
As mentioned in the article I would just like to say a huge Thank You to:
Everyone over at Arctic ONE, all their fund-raisers and supporters, especially two of the trustees, Matt Kirby and Bex Stubbing's, who's support has been absolutely amazing.
Pace Rehabilitation for their endless support. I am so looking forward to my next adventures and learning to run on my Pace built running prosthesis. I know the whole team is right behind me.
Brian Bartlett for, designing the BTK and being kind enough to sponsor me and being a great buddy.
Paul and Andy over at Bike Swanky for sorting me out on their demo bike so I could get some road bike practice in for my triathlon and for getting me fixed up with a road bike and sponsoring me on a new mountain bike.
And finally to Empower for featuring me in their magazine and Chris for walking me through what he required and offering words of support for my then upcoming triathlon.
Empower are always looking for new and interesting stories about people with disabilities.
Thursday 28 August 2014
A spot of afternoon Geo-caching with friendly folk along the way...
Once at Lee's and he has his stuff sorted we head off along and up the Farmers Trail, it's a lovely day for riding, the sun is out and there is a slight breeze. Lee has an idea where he wants to go, however I persuade him to follow me as I want to show him some new trails locally. Lee's a dead funny lad, he always has this idea of where he wants to go and when someone takes him off the beaten track he kind of becomes uncomfortable. Maybe it's not on his Garmin which he rely's on so much, it always makes me chuckle to myself. Anyhoo Lee follows my lead and as we ride up different trails he comments on "Oh I've been on here" or better still "Ave neva been along here it's beautiful". This is what I like to hear, it's great taking people to new areas and letting them see that we live in such a pretty area when you get just outside of the hustle and bustle of our town.
Overlooking the pond |
Some pretty flowers near the waters edge |
I show Lee parts of Beamish Woods he has never seen before and and of course some he has. As we pass the big pond I take the opportunity to practice with my camera. We then work our way along to the forges. In the Woods there is one particular sweet spot of technical riding. I am very pleased with myself today as I only had to get off once for this tricky section that was on a camber, and up a incline, covered in tree roots. I managed all the technical climbs, in and out of the trees and only fell off once, not being able to put my leg down on my Bartlett Tendon side.
Lee enjoying the beautiful quiet area |
Pics a little blurry, but hey just practising! |
Lee coming through the techy trail |
As we approach the Forges and Ousburgh Woods I give Lee a quick history lesson about the area. Lee is very interested in local history and he appreciates my small amount of knowledge. As we ride into Ousburgh I take the path that leads through the ford and stream as Lee heads over the foot bridge.
Once in the woods fully Lee is blown away by how beautiful the area is, all the ancient trees, the stream or burn as we call it and all the flowers, butterflies and other bits and pieces you expect to see on a sunny day in the woods. Lee comments on how he will now make this one of his more regular routes. It is really pretty and serene in these woods. As we come out at the other end we get on to a small road and have to climb a rather steep bank. At the moment I'm trying to practice more and more riding up hill out of the saddle using my Bartlett Tendon, why you may ask? Well I was contacted by a guy who asked is it possible to ride out the saddle up a hill. Yes it is, however it requires quite a bit of practice and energy. You have to concentrate on getting your pedal stroke right, keep your balance and have good endurance. My aim at some point is to make a small video of me riding up a few banks or hills. But hey that's for another day.
A short ride up the road and Lee says "hey why don't we cut down here and get onto the Bowes Railway Line, it will make our ride just that bit longer". So off we go down this road to our right looking for the sign post for the Bowes Railway path. It's not too far down the road, we both have to man handle our bikes through one of those stupid gates, you know the ones to stop motorcycles, the ones that actually don't really stop them at all, they just hinder everyone else. Anyhoo Lee is off up the path, me I stop as I see an interesting sculpture and get off my bike, then position it next to the stone sculpture and proceed to get some snaps.
Sandman Hoggar Ti |
He is at the top of the road, having scoffed his banana whilst waiting for me. We then head over to another place I want to show Lee for a little jaunt. This is called "Hedley Hall Woods" I tell him and we again have to manoeuvre our bikes through a daft gate. It's just a little loop, but this place is lovely and quiet. I'm not sure if you are supposed to ride bikes here. I couldn't see any DO NOT RIDE signs, so that's good enough for me. Lee takes my camera and grabs a few shots of me and then we complete the loop, dismounting at the gate. As we approach the gate there is a man coming the other way. Awww crap is he going to be a cock, we have a 50/50 chance. This bloke turns out to be class he opens the gate for us and spends a bit time having a chat. Lee finds him amusing as this bloke is swearing like a trooper. We get on about how certain people can be stuck up and whine about us riding our bikes and he backs us up saying "you should just tell them to"...well the first word starts with "F" and the second is "off", I take it we have his approval to ride on.
Riding in Hedley Hall Woods |
Out the saddle on the trail |
Having fun |
I got a brand new combine Harvester I do |
Continuing up the road, we come onto the Causey Arch Road and then head up towards Tanfield Railway. Lee wants to look for a geo-cache nearby and also has an idea where to stash one of his own. We spend a little time down near the train sheds, just looking around and had a small chat to some volunteers as they were leaving. Time to head off in search of this geo-cache.
Lee getting ready to blitz down the trail
A little way down the trail and Lee says "it should be somewhere around here". The clue is something about used to be a tree, but now is wood or something like that. I got it in my head that the cache would be in a tree stump. We searched for quite sometime both getting nettled yet again, it's a regular occurrence with us now. I then spotted what appeared to be like an old railway sleeper and some other bits of wood right in the undergrowth, behind this small tree, or bush. "I reckon it's in there somewhere I said" and so we both headed into this tricky spot, what with nettles and prickly bushes, it was a proper nightmare. As I got near the wood and had a good look I spotted a small container fixed to a wooden post. "there it is Lee", "Lee jokingly saying his now favourite phrase when geo-caching "awww man it's never me" and we both shared a laugh.Off he goes
Geo-cache logged we set off to find a spot for our own. Again Lee off in the distance me trailing behind. I stopped as I saw a lovely photo opportunity and "agggghhhh, again missed it". That's the only thing about riding and having something like a 35mm camera, it takes ages to get your back pack off and then take the shot. Anyhoo I'll just explain the scene. A beautiful golden field, that had been cut recently,blue skies and the sun at just the right angle to make the field glow. There was a group of crows I think you call it a murder. Did you know that you call a group of ravens an unkindness or a conspiracy. As I approached they were all in a huddle, then as I stopped to take of my back pack they all bloody flew away. My idea was to get a shot of my bike with the golden field in the background then clap or shout and get the crows to fly...Oh yes I'm very creative in my own mind at least lol. Never mind you just have to make do with a picture of my bike and no birds.
Dang it missed the real shot, this one will have to do |
A pretty Thistle |
WoW this was scary I hate heights |
At the top now time to sit down before I fall off lol |
The derelict building with stairs |
Anyhoo long story short, well looking at my blog, Long I have rang Gateshead Council today and explained about the fly tipping site and they are going to arrange to have it cleared up within 7 days...Result.
I'll have a little rant now... Ok cyclist's always seem to get a bad rap, expecially mountain bikers. We are told we can't ride here or there, based on laws about footpath's that go back to the middle ages. Yet in my opinion we actually take more care of the environment and our surroundings than the majority of other people. We face constant flak from whiney people who prefer to go around polluting the place with motor vehicles or letting their dogs poop all over trails. My biggest bug bear being those people who actually pick up their dog crap then proceed to scatter the bags all over the countryside as they can't be arsed to find a bin. Omg you have done the hard part just take it with you and dispose of it properly. Ok that's me done I feel loads better now and will continue to ride where I like in a respectful, non-threatening manner lol
Tuesday 26 August 2014
Ooooh a Charity gig, featuring The Panic Report a North Eastern Band at the Schooner. I'll be there!
The Panic Report are a local band from the North East. One of the band - Lee Stephenson spent most of his childhood growing up with my husband - Lee Sheridan. So when Lee Stephenson heard about my cancer diagnosis and our intention to try and support Glenn Johnstone and Arctic ONE, he said if there was anything he could do to help we just had to let him know and that he'd have a think about what he could do to help.
xxxx
Checkout the Schooner's Facebook page and add a like
Glenn "Thanks to everyone for all your support I really do appreciate it and I know the guys over at Arctic ONE are simply blown away by how much support I have received over the last few months. I've made so many new and dear friends in fact I often wonder what the hell I must have been doing before you all came along. My life is enriched so much more now that I have you all in my life".
Camera hunting...Fail!...Aww who cares, quality time with friends!
Wayne is our local window cleaner, he is a cracking lad and we get on very well, whenever I see him he always makes time to have a chat as we share similar hobbies and interests. Wayne even did a sponsored bike ride with a few of his friends to raise money for me and Arctic ONE the charity I am being supported by in getting a running blade. Like I saw a top fella. Anyhoo a good while ago as Wayne and I were chatting I remembered him saying he was into both diving and metal detecting. So I thought why not give Wayne a buzz and see if he knew if there was such a thing as an under water metal detector. His reply"Yeah there is I have one, but I'm in Spain and won't be back until the 19th". So I waited a couple of days for him to return then messaged him again asking if he could help me out.
Wayne called down on Monday and we discussed when we should head over to Ladyburn Lake. We decided that afternoon was as good a time as any so Wayne popped over home to grab all his gear and I got my stuff sorted. I had asked wor Kyle to come along as he was the one who was in the canoe at the time and he had dropped my camera. I also invited my mate John and of course Ern, well Ern always likes an adventure and is part of the team.
So we drove over to Wayne's and picked both him and his gear up. I introduced Wayne to John as they had never met and off we went over towards Druridge Bay.
It takes around an hour to get to the lake from ours. Monday wasn't an exactly warm day, a bit of a light breeze and the temperature read 17 degrees C in the car. We got to our destination and parked up, a bit further over than we usually do, as it was nearer to where the camera was lost. Wayne and I soon had our wetsuits on, Wayne's being more like a proper diving suit, he was quite warm, me I was bloody freezing. As soon as I got in the water I wanted a wee lol. I had to hold it in for an hour and a half, as that is how long we were in searching for my camera.
Wayne what a top fella |
Wayne the frogman! |
We were both gutted we didn't find my camera the detector was definitely working as Wayne found a 2pence coin |
It's canny difficult trying to get in and out of the water with only one leg lol |
I'm off Wayne in hot pursuit |
Ern taking a few snaps |
Wayne with his metal detector and me foot feeling |
We sat out in Al and Sarah's garden both Wayne and John sampling some of Al's home made nettle beer and everyone commenting on how delicious the scones Sarah had baked were. There was both cheese and fruit and they were absolutely lush,well worth the visit, in fact we joked we would come more. It's great bringing people together and just having a bit of fun.
As we sat around the small table we got on talking about all heading out on a biking adventure, biving under the stars somewhere. It was a unanimous decision that there has to be a fire this time around. I think both Wayne and Al are really looking forward to it, I know I am it will be great craic.
As time was getting on we thanked Al and Sarah for their generosity and got up to head to the car, handshakes exchanged and a few hugs for Sarah. I was really proud of wor Kyle as he thanked Al for sorting out some software for him and instead of shaking his hand gave him a proper hug... Nice touch, in that I feel I have helped bring him up at least partly right.
And that's about it until next time...Bye
Monday 25 August 2014
Jason Lalla Highland 2014
I wanted to share this amazing video of my friend Jason Lalla. Jason played a huge role in helping me first contact Brian Bartlett, the designer of the Bartlett Tendon. And well from there the rest is history.
I remember thinking "wow" when I first contacted Jason. I sent one or two emails as I knew he was using one of Brian's prototype knees and my question was "how do I get one of those things". Jason replied immediately, saying something like call me at home in the evening and providing me with his home phone number. You have to remember Jason is out in the States and here's me in the little old UK. As I recall, that phone call lasted somewhere in the region of 45 minutes and I was blown away at just how friendly, helpful and kind Jason was.
Jason went on to explain that Brian had had to go into hospital for a revision on his residual limb and that at the time was going through a rough period what with feeling ill and rehabilitation. I remember Jason's exact words, "I've put a call into Brian, and he will contact you real soon". Each day I checked my email and about 2 weeks later there was a mail from Brian (who had now become like a superhero to me) I can remember the feeling, and it was just awesome.
You have to try and understand that as an amputee, the stuff you can do on a normal everyday prosthetic is very limited. What the Bartlett Tendon allows you to do just depends on your ability (as Jason demonstrates in his video)
I still look to people like Jason and Brian for inspiration, they are amazing people...
Thursday 21 August 2014
You can still fall off on a short ride out!
One pic before the battery died |
I also had a 31 mile ride out on the loaner bike I'm using from Bike Swanky It's a De Rosa Idol and this was on Monday. I decided rather than stick with a really long pylon (the bit that goes from my knee down to my foot, which I had lengthened so as to help me become more efficient on my bike) that I would take out 30mm, leaving my prosthetic side roughly 12mm longer than my normal, good side. I have also fitted the dropper seat post from my NS Soda and this works at treat when I need to set off come to a stop. Starting and stopping can be the hardest bit for an amputee as it's real hard getting on or off the saddle when it's high and set at the right height for riding. Anyhoo Monday's ride was smashing, really enjoyed it and I felt quite comfortable on the bike. The bike is a tad small something I went to the bike fit for, so again money well spent. I'm now looking forward to getting my own De Rosa Idol come September in a bigger size and well pleased the original colour, Blue and White should be available.
Today's ride was to be a short one with both John and Lee. I wanted to keep it relatively short as I didn't want to get sore as I'm taking part in my first triathlon on Saturday. The Arctic ONE Tri & Para-Tri Festival is at Dorney Lake,Eton, Berks. Tomorrow myself, Ern and my friends John and Ade will be travelling down, staying over the night then they will support me in my efforts.
So like I was saying today's ride we agreed would just be a short one. Lee suggested we maybe head out and do a few Geo-caches, he also had the idea of hiding one himself then logging it for other people to find. So we set off from Lee's in search of a good spot to hide a Geo-cache. We rode over towards the turbines on Wagtail lane. I remember as a youngster this road was never referred to as Wagtail Lane, No for us it was the "Lonley Road". From there it was off to one of our regular haunts and Chapman's Wells. And from there well I won't tell you otherwise it's pointless hiding a cache lol. As this was Lee's/ our first we decided to make it pretty easy. I went in search of a stone to hide the small box Lee had put some stuff in and Lee and John went about digging a small area to pop the container in. We all managed to get stung by nettles, a routine hazard in our neck of the woods. I always itch for days. I grabbed a few snaps and we headed off in search of a Cache pretty nearby.
Lee Writing out Cache Name |
A Clue |
Discussing the dynamics of hiding a small square container...For fecks sake just hide it under a rock! |
I told Lee £500 was far too much to leave in one container |
As we approached the edge of the field Lee said the clue was something about holly and a hole. I spotted a holly bush and we ventured over towards it. John stayed this side of the fence and Lee and I stepped over another tyle and begun searching on the other side. After a few moments John shouts "I've found it" to which Lee mutters something about a "basket" and words to the effect of "it's never me", this made me chuckle, here we are in our 40's and just like big kids. That said big kids having fun.
As we headed on our merry way Lee spotted a really pretty horse, who had a gorgeous little foal with it. He got an apple out of his back pack and gave it to the horse, who appeared ever so friendly. The little foal was a bit shy but eventually came over to stand with it's mom and I caught a few snaps. They both had beautiful blue eyes.
Another cache full of errr...crap! |
John the chief Cache finder, Lee "basket it's never me" |
The Horse whisperer...No more like you bribed it with a Golden Delicious |
Pretty horses |
What a cute little guy |
As we got onto the Lanchester Road we cycled along until we could cut through the Malton picnic area from there could get on to the Lanchester Way cycle path. As we approached Lanchester we had a bit of a group chat and chose to head back towards home, deciding to take in Lanchester Bank. Both John and lee had never ridden up it before and it's one of those local banks you really should do at some point. I have been up it numerous times now and have to say today on my Fat Bike, yes in granny gear it was pretty easy. I wonder if this is a sign of my fitness, or the knock on the head I had just experienced lol.
Once at the top of the bank Lee wanted to go look for one more Geo before we headed home. I'm not sure if Lee and John found it as I continued just plodding away up into Mordor as we approached home.
And that's it, another adventure over. Now sitting here realising that wow I'm staring to get real sore and stiff and thinking, this never used to happen when I was younger, boy I'm getting old.
Saturday 16 August 2014
Dark Side Of The Lens
I think I will try and do this a lot more and share what I find interesting, hopefully allowing you to do the same. I mean I am not a surfer, however I can see the attraction. It's the raw power of nature and the very things around us that we take for granted.
Enjoy...
My first Bike Fit and WoW what and experience!
Really enjoyed my Bike Fitting sessions with Craig Stevenson... Awesome job Craig Thanks |
Wednesday 13 August 2014
Returning to BBC Radio Tees and sharing a small piece of whats going on in the life of Glenn with John Foster
I have managed to grab the small story I did with John Foster and popped it on here for anyone intereted who may have missed it...
John Foster BBC Radio Tees 12.8.14
Monday 11 August 2014
A mixed bag of great fun and total disaster at Druridge Bay
I was well impressed with Mr Hink's |
During the week my friend Ade called down after I got in from work. He asked "how do you feel about going over to Ullswater" in the Lakes so that he could get a few shots of me practising my swimming and really just have a nice day out. My immediate reaction was "Err no". I went on to explain that as I didn't know Ullswater all that well, having only been there once before with Ade and his boys for a spot of canoeing, and that I didn't feel comfortable heading over there and swimming without anyone else. I mean my swimming is ok, however I preferred to air on caution, so suggested we go to Druridge Bay instead. Although I have only been there once too, with my boss and friend Dan I knew I would feel a lot more relaxed there. So both Ade and I agreed on this and chose Saturday as the day to go.
Thursday 7 August 2014
In the local rag
Of course, this also includes the support of so many kind people who have helped me from when I first became ill, right up to the present.
I am going to be honest and say I have found it really difficult asking people for donations to help me achieve my goal of running. It doesn't sit well with me, I much prefer to be giving my time and raising awareness for other people.
Many people I suppose will see my getting a running blade as "Just another hobby", or "why should he get all this attention and free stuff". I suppose I would answer that with "Yes I am very fortunate, however I have worked really hard to accomplish my goals" I have never once said "why did this happen to me". For me, it's just part of my life. Terrible stuff happens to people every day, I am one of the lucky ones who can still get out there and do what I want to do. In some cases it can be tough, real tough, as prosthetics are very expensive. I had for a long time to give up on the idea of ever being able to run, instead using a favourite saying of mine, which is "concentrate on the things you can do".
Anyhoo after having my first ever trip abroad last September and meeting my friend Shannon's prosthetist, Scott. I was advised to contact the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which is based in the US. I did this pretty much on my return, completing an on-line application form and asking both my boss at work Dan and my prosthetist over at Pace Rehabilitation Toby for references. I was blown away by the support I got from these two guys as they wrote absolutely fantastic references, so good in fact that when I read them back I thought "Wow who is this guy" (yeah I have a habit of being overly critical of myself and sometimes don't see what others see in me). It's an awesome feeling to know you have the backing of people you really admire and respect.
About a week after sending in my application, I got a mail back saying unfortunately the Challenged Athletes Foundation wouldn't be able to approve my application as they were not supporting International Athletes at this time. "Ahh well" I thought, at least I gave it a shot. I'll just concentrate on my riding. I'm a very lucky chap as I am sponsored on my Bartlett Tendon Knee and I also receive much appreciated and excellent care from Pace Rehab who have looked after me from very early on after my amputation.
Time passed by, probably 6 to 7 months, and I was booked in for an appointment to attend Pace's new satellite clinic right here in the North East in Newcastle. Toby sent me a mail to confirm my appointment, however he also asked "has CAF been in touch with you?" To which I answered "No". It was at this point Toby informed me I had been approved for a Ossur Flex Run blade, complete with Nike sole. Awesome!!! Obviously as Pace was already supporting me with what is essentially a £10K cycling limb, they couldn't then just give me the rest of the components to complete a running prosthesis. This is where the fund-raising would come into play. Yeah! I wasn't keen on the idea, however I knew I couldn't let the opportunity slip away without trying. So firstly, I had to convince myself. My way of thinking being like my opening statement "In order for me to help others I must first help myself".
Fund-raising, wow, how am I going to go about this? That's when Toby suggested contacting Arctic ONE. Well it was weird as actually Matt Kirby the founder and one of the trustees from Arctic ONE got in touch with me. Matt explained that he had been watching me for some time and was an avid reader of my blog. Matt thought we could help each other out. Arctic ONE would fund-raise on my behalf, and I could promote and attend Arctic ONE's amazingly organise events. And this is how I have came to be entered in my first triathlon on the 23rd of August down in Eton in Berkshire at Dorney Lake.
My grant application runs out from CAF on the 31st of December and I need to raise roughly £8500 to get me up and running.
This is a huge challenge for me. I have only just got back to swimming after 20 years and as far as running goes, well I can't even jog at the moment in my ordinary everyday leg. I can't wait to learn to run and from there know that every step I take will be in getting someone else to where they want to be.
A huge thank you to Gavin and Tom for their newspaper report and images and allowing people to read a little about my story.
Thanks everyone for your support.
Article can be found here Consett and Stanley Advertiser
The Northern Echo
Sunday 3 August 2014
Our adventure to take part in the Skyride at Newcastle and Gateshead
Our other friend Lee was supposed to be joining us on the ride, however during the week he informed us he wasn't able to go as he was having probs with his forks. This was a real shame and we missed Lee on the day. It's been a really strange year riding wise for me when I look back, why? well because I had become so used to riding all alone, then all of a sudden I get these great riding buddies and now when we aren't all together it's just not the same.
As this was a free event and not that far really I decided to ask Kyle if he fancied tagging along, offering him the loan of my Ibis. Kyle wasn't to sure saying "I'll see what the weather is like on Saturday morning". Well Saturday morning arrived and I poked my head around Kyle's door, "you coming or what". "Aye gan on then" he said, even before he looked out of the window. We both got ready and went downstairs to grab the rest of our gear. Just then John arrived. "It's spitting on a bit" he says. I replaced my everyday limb for my Bartlett Tendon,complete with my check socket which Pace have been working on and we all headed out to get the bikes. Just then it started going from spitting down to absolutely lashing down. As we stood in our shed, the rain belting off the roof we all agreed "yep we are pretty mad for wanting to go out in weather like this". That said when a ride is planned what's a little rain huh? Plus we had arranged to meet our new buddy Al down at the Skyride.
Lee, John and myself met Al whilst out on one of our other adventures, he was ever so kind to us as we had gotten lost from one another and he provided us with water and introduced us to his lovely wife Sarah. It' weird how you meet people in life and then how you can go on to become part of their lives and they can share in yours. One of the most enjoyable parts of riding for me is actually meeting friendly people.
So off John, Kyle and myself go, heading up...Come on guess? What you give in? That's right the Farmers Trail. If this weather keeps up I'm going to have to pop my Nate's back on as I was squirming up the trail as it was so slick, Phew! it was hard work, kind of like 1 pedal stroke forward and then 3 stationary lol The ride down into No Place was fun, all downhill. As I got into No Place I had to stop, for some reason my stump was really hurting and it felt knackered. John was a bit concerned and asked did I just want to go home, as I was in a canny bit pain. But I said no, lets carry on and see if it wears off.
By the time we crossed the main new road, or the Chester bypass and got onto the bit single track it was feeling a tad better. The trail was water logged and both Kyle and I blasted down through the large puddles getting filthy and if we could have gotten much wetter we probably did so there. As John finally caught up I said "where you been?" John had taken ages to get down the trail. "I didn't want to get me arse wet" he says. Omg John it's persistently raining your going to get wet lol.
A quick ride along to the Tanfield Railway path and we are scooting along the trail, it's a bit more sheltered by the trees here, however the trail is a bit deceiving as all the undergrowth is hampering the path. At one point I almost crashed headlong into a bench that was hiding around a corner, hidden by long weeds. Over the Causey Arch Bridge and back onto the Causey road. Before long we are back out at Tanfield Railway and head along that section of trail. This is where John tried to have me killed. As we came to the main road, John rode over to head down the back of Sunnyside. I shouts over to him as he crossed the road, "Clear" to which he said "Aye". I was just about to head over when this geet big mini bus comes around the bend and had to hop off my bike. I'm going to have to watch that mister Chambers, sure he thinks I've left him something in my will.
John still isn't keen on going to fast, because of the splashes, so i go tearing off past him and shoot down the back of Watergate, coming out at the traffic lights, press the button wait a few seconds then I'm over and straight down the bank into Watergate Park.
As I cross the small bridge where the water from the pond/lake flows towards the waterfall I see all the tributes to the young lad who was killed in the Park just the other week. Kind of reminds you when you're out having fun how precious life is.
I wait for Kyle and John at the end of the Park and we follow the Tanfield Railway signs down, crossing over the foot bridge which goes over the A1. From here it's down through the housing estate and before you know it we are out at Dunston. A little further on and we come out at the Dunston Staithes and from here it's a ride along the riverside, a quick blast over the swing bridge and yay we are on the Quayside and at the Skyride.
John's login doesn't work, you know those dft things you get on your phone with little square type thiny's. That's technology for you huh? We all have to register again. We the receive a lanyard with our entery details, a free bottle and a loomy Skyride bib, awww great it will cover my filthy jacket as honest I looked like I had been on some commando mission.
After I had a very nice chat with one of the security guards as I admired Froome and Wiggins bikes we met up with my dad and my other friend Ade who had decided to come down to try and catch a few shots.
It was then time to head to the start. Al was no where to be seen, however just as we got to the start John had a call and he told Al where we were and he showed up to join us just before we set off. Everyone started ringing their bells which was a terrific sound, made me feel a boit left out as i don't have a bell, well I'm hard core aren't I lol. Never mind "ding ding" and we are off. Kyle was a way, thinking he was in the Tour De Newcastle, "it's a ride you plonker not a bloody sprint around the Toon". Al and myself soon lost John, this was because John had decided to ride around the whole course one handed as he had his camera in the other hand. When Al and I had completed one lap we saw wor Kyle waiting. We couldn't figure out where the finish line was so went for another lap.
On one section there was the opportunity to do a 200m sprint race against a friend. I could tell wor Kyle wanted to race me. I had about a 10 foot head start as I was trying to keep my balance and track stand, then we were off. Yeah he beat me, but it was real funny to hear him say as we rode along together "bloody hell I'm knackered" as I left him in my wake. Kids these days no endurance lol.
So after completing two laps we all hooked up just over from the Millennium Bridge and the Baltic. We shared a bit of craic then said our goodbye's. I've arranged for Al to come over to my neck of the woods Thursday to head out for a ride, hopefully Lee can join us as John can't as he is at some stupid waste of time Job Centre training.
When we got to Watergate Park, we were supposed to meet Ade and my dad, just to grab some more pics, however they took ages top arrive. In the end my dad came and I phoned Ade saying we were cold and just going to head straight back. Kyle was sore so he decided to get a lift home with his grandad. Again no stamina these young'uns lol. Both John and I gave him a bit stick, fair do's he had done well really as he hasn't been riding regularly. A nice ride home, my bloddy Strava not recording as usual , though John said we did 30.4 miles, so not a bad Saturday at all. The weather was more or less the same as when we left Mordor in the morning...raining and miserable. Sometimes Stanley is like the town that time forgot.
I didn't get any photo's all day, however John gave me permission to use his so here they are...