...of England that is!

Our starting point

16th July will see the five of us meet up in Lowestoft
at England's most easterly point for our fifth annual cycle fundraiser. Early that morning we will have taken trains with our bikes from Bristol. Five days later we hope to back in Bristol during the Bristol Cycle Week and in the 2015 Green Capital of Europe after cycling via Woodbridge, Stanstead, London and Reading. http://www.justgiving.com/Michael-Duffy8 directs you to our charity for this year the TEENAGE CANCER TRUST. Please give what you can.

County Cork to Bristol 2012

Many thanks to you-all who have contributed to St Peter's JustGiving (now closed) .  £721plus gift aid of about £150 is what we have collecetd: we cycled all the way home from  the wonderful Irish hospitality of Michael's family in County Cork. We travelled through Youghal and along the remote Gaeltacht up and down coast of County Waterford to Tramore and Passage East; on to

Cork-Bristol: ready to go - or almost.

Bristol G.O.M.s are soon setting off to County Cork and on Saturday 25th August will be heading back to Bristol on their cycles. Please contribute to St Peter's Hospice Bristol by visiting our Justgiving page for details

Further planning for Cork - Bristol trip

The time approaches for the off and still not nearly enough preparatory cycling done - watching Olympians is not training! Ken, Roger, David, Michael and Nigel will set off towards the end of August
Now it looks like, David will head off for Derry in advance by train and boat via Tenby, Pembroke-Rosslare, Dublin, Belfast and then make head south (still by train) for Cork, while the others pack cycles and selves into a camper van to be taken to Cork and left there for later collection.
24th August will see us all, we hope, united in County Cork and ready to set off on the morning of the 25th towards ( about 110 miles) Rosslare-Fishguard ferry on 27th and then about 160 miles through South Wales to Bristol arriving on the evening of 29th - about 270 miles in five days, we fear. Our chosen charity this year is St Peter's Hospice in Bristol.

Update on Cork to Bristol Green Charity Challenge at end of August

The grumpy five, or possibly six, will be cycling back to Bristol from Cork via Rosslare at the end of August this year aiming to arrive back in Bristol on 30th August.
A few things are now agreed but there are still a dozen or more Thursday nights to decide others. The Charity we shall be collecting for is St Peter's Hospice, Bristol.
And how we get our cycles by train and boat to Cork - what a shame the Swansea-Cork ferry has died a death!- is becoming clearer. Bristol - Holyhead - Dublin -Cork by 'Sailrail'  seems the only feasible route.

Grumpies Survive Paris challenge, make it back to Bristol and raise over £1600 for Cancer Research (UK)

We made it! October UPDATE
  http://www.justgiving.com/michael-duffy6  - the link for donations for Cancer Research (UK). Itinerary and more photos, even video clips follow under read more - the HARD FACTS

We finally pedalled into Westbury Park at 8.30pm on Bank Holiday Monday evening, a little tired after an 82 mile cycle from Romsey on our last day, but elated nevertheless and still bosom pals. Di Bruce organised a welcoming party and the champagne (well Cava actually!) flowed whilst our tales of endurance, adventures and daring deeds on our 314 mile trip took on epic proportions.

We had a fantastic ride with no hitches, bar one slow puncture which was conveniently repaired in the comfort of our hotel conference room in Rouen. We never got really 'lost', just chose alternative routes at times.

We gather last Friday was a day of appalling weather in Bristol. But we are glad to report that, whilst storm clouds frequently brewed all around us, it was as if we had Moses in the saddlebag parting the seas before us, for we escaped with only a few light showers. Though of course, as every cyclist only knows too well, the wind was always against us!

We are hopeful that the saddle-sore and aching limbs will gradually ease. The conversation of a Thursday evening might turn to the topic of “next year’s ride” but for now we will probably concentrate on re-building our drinking-arm muscles.

Thank you so much for your support and kind donations, now over £1600. Please send our JustGiving page on to anyone else who might like to donate: http://www.justgiving.com/Michael-Duffy6

Many thanks again

The GrumpiesPublish Post

Roger Ayton, David Bruce, Ken Clarke, Michael Duffy and Nigel Seaman
We left Paris at 3pm on Thursday 25th August 2011; 314 miles on the clock saw us  back home in Westbury Park, Bristol just after night fall on Monday 29th.

£1620  (excluding any gift aid) has now been donated. For photos, even videos and more detail....

Grumpies ride home from Paris for Cancer Research (UK)

Last year we survived!

Hi friends, colleagues and former colleagues and those who haven’t a clue who I am:

See our new money raising project and donate at http://www.justgiving.com/michael-duffy6