We did it! Last weekend, the Dons of Oxford – a team of five cyclists (Christoph, Anika, Mark, Melissa and Estella) and a support crew (myself, my cousin Liz and her son Emeran in one van and Toby and his two dogs in the other) – travelled from Oxford to Wales to raise money for the UK Sepsis Trust.
The cyclists rode more than 165 miles through driving rain, wind and sunshine, up and down hill, over dale, from town to town until they reached Cardiff on Sunday lunchtime. The highlight of the ride was when they crossed the Severn Bridge between Wales and England and met some of the original engineers of the bridge who were visiting to celebrate the structure’s 50th anniversary!
Liz, Emeran and I took the easier route with a few comfort stops and visits to the Cattle Adventure Park and bouncy playground on the way. We also spent a few hours driving in circles after our satnav tried to send us down the inaccessible cycle routes but eventually managed to find our way back to the Dons and give them much needed water and moral support
The only downer was when the security guard at the Wentloog Corporate Park in Wales refused to let me unload Liz and Emeran on the kerb to watch the cyclists go past because he was ‘worried about the gypsies next door’ and, on a less serious note (although that depends from whose perspective), when a goat at the Cattle Adventure Park tried to eat Emeran’s toy rabbit ‘Bruce’. I’ve never seen Emeran look so startled.
All in all though it was an epic and amazing weekend and we raised more than £5k which will be used by the Sepsis Trust to “save lives and improve outcomes for survivors of sepsis by instigating political change, educating healthcare professionals, raising public awareness and providing support for those affected by this devastating condition’.
Big ups to the five cyclists on their epic achievement especially Christoph for organising everything including our hotels in Gloucester, Newport and Cardiff, and Anika who travelled all the way from Boston to take part in the ride! Thanks also to all those who rallied the troops, especially the crowd at the Ashmolean led by Liam who came to wave us off on Friday morning with placards, croissants and coffee.
You can read about Liz and the cycle ride in the Oxford Mail which covered the event –
To also read about my cousin’s brave battled with sepsis, read my article which was published in the Sunday Star Times in New Zealand on November 13
Below are some more photos of our four day road epic trip. . .
Now to start training for next year!
