Author Archive

Jeff Stelling

I was really excited to see that Jeff Stelling is undertaking a huge fund raising event this year. It excites me on so many levels ad I am very keen to get involved. I hope that you will support him in EVERY way you can. Please read on ….

10 walking marathons, 10 days

Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling is walking 10 marathons in 10 days from Hartlepool United to Wembley Stadium to help beat prostate cancer.

From 21-30 March 2016, he is walking through the heartlands of England to raise money to beat a disease killing one man every hour.

The route

Jeff Stelling is visting over 30 football clubs across 10 days from Monday 21 March to Wednesday 30 March 2016.

He’ll be joined on each leg of the journey by a select band of Men United supporters representing football clubs on the route.

Day 1: Hartlepool Utd via Middlesborough to Marske

Day 2: York City to Leeds United

Day 3: Doncaster Rovers to Scunthorpe United

Day 4: Rotherham Utd via Sheffield to Chesterfield

Day 5: Derby County via Burton Albion to Notts County and Nottm Forest

Day 6: Wolves via Walsall, West Brom, Aston Villa to Birmingham City

Day 7: Coventry City to Leicester City

Day 8: Northampton Town to MK Dons

Day 9: Luton Town via St Albans City to Watford

Day 10: AFC Wimbledon, Brentford, Fulham, QPR and Chelsea and on to Wembley

You can support him.

Want to walk with Jeff for a day? Lace up your walking shoes and raise money to beat prostate cancer.

For more details please visit Jeff’s site

Chris Boardman Competition

I am not sure I want to be sharing this competition because I sooooo want to win the bike!

BOARDMAN PERFORMANCE RANGE 2016…
COMING SOON

We at Halfords are delighted to announce the launch of the brand new Performance bike range from Boardman on Friday 29th January, exclusively available in-store and online at Halfords.com

The new Performance range from Boardman is the result of many miles, hours and laps of testing by the Boardman team to ensure that the latest models are more than a match for the rigours of British riding. With something for every type of rider, from the commuter, to the thrill seeking mountain biker, and the all-out racer, each of the 23 new bikes in the range has been designed with the needs of the modern cyclist in mind.

To celebrate the launch of this exciting new range, we’re offering you the chance to win one of the fantastic Boardman Performance bikes, in the discipline of your choice, as well as the opportunity for the first prize winner, to put their new bike through its paces on a ride-out with the icon and inspiration behind the brand, Chris Boardman.

The Prizes

First Prize: Win the opportunity for you and a friend to partake in a ride out with Chris Boardman and a fantastic new bike up to the value of £1,000 each from Boardman’s Performance range, in the discipline of your choice!

Second Prize: Win a new Performance Boardman bike up to the value of £1,000, in the discipline of your choice, signed by Chris Boardman himself.

Third Prize: Win a signed Boardman bikes cycle jersey.

To be in with a chance of winning one of these exclusive prizes, all you have to do is enter your contact details and sign up.

Good luck and we can’t wait to hear what you think of the new Performance range from Boardman.

#OUTTHEREWITHYOU

For more details and to enter, click here

Chris Boardman

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I was intending to visit Halfords in Chiswick. I went and, as usual, it was my usual little boy lost in the toy-shop experience! They have a great range of clothing and I was soooooo close to treating myself to a new bike. The difference between Halfords and lots of the other cycle shops around nowadays is that they are staffed by guys who are real cycling fans themselves. I was all set to get one pair of gloves when a charming assistant suggested another paid whic he said were better and better value. Win-win! Thanks.

Whilst I was in the store I found out about the Chris Boardman competition above. I’d LOVE to win the prize but thought it only fair to share it with you all. Good Luck.

Halfords

Well, it was minus 18 last week and we had 20 cms of snow here on the Swedish/Norwegian border. Sadly it will get colder and the snow will get deeper, so it is little surprise that my mind wandered today to warmer days in the saddle. I was pleased to find this very useful infographic from Halfords in the UK and I used it to review my requirements for the coming season. Halfords have been the UK’s leading cycling retailer for many years and I am always happy to recommend them.

Next week I am paying a visit to their large Chiswick store to purchase more equipment. Their staff are cycling people and enthusiasts themselves. They don’t serve dishwashers or curved screen TVs! In other words, they know their onions as my granny would say! Crucially they are open until late in the evening, so I can visit after a day’s work at nearby Brentford. My main reason for visiting is for some new cycling shoes and I will be checking out their Shimano range, I am sure. I will add some overshoes, no doubt and probably some and some and some. It will be like Christmas. I am not specifically looking for a new bike but know that I will be tempted! They have a price match policy which always impresses me. I know I am going to get professional advice on getting the best product ….. and at the best price. Win-win!

Obviously, cycling has boomed in popularity over the past few years in the UK and Halfords have been growing in numbers of stores and in the range of products they supply to keep anybody from the first-time buyer to the professional happy.

Jigraphy

You probably know your football teams, but could you locate each team’s home stadium on a map? This ingenious 150 piece puzzle starts as a jigsaw. Once finished, 150 numbered footballs appear on the map, each one representing the location of the home stadium of every team in England’s Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two.
Also includes Scotland’s Premiership and Championship and the top divisions in Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Each ball is coded with a border colour representing the league in which the team plays and the balls are coloured in the team’s current kit colours. Your task is simply to work out which ball represents which team, on the map. All of the information is up to date for the start of the 2015/16 season.

The finished puzzle is approximately 50cm x 75cm.

Order today here

Day 77 …… five years later

Most of you reading this will know that in 2010 I cycled to all the 92 league grounds in England and Wales. Here I look back on that trip. My last update was after a horror hit-and-run left me unconscious in a ditch 30 miles from Newcastle.

Three weeks pass and the world looks a better place. I left hospital, had my bike re-built and resumed my quest to visit every club. So in late July and into August I cycle down from the North East through my beloved Yorkshire and into the East Midlands. With the notable exception of Leeds (Dis-)United I am met with universal kindness and generosity. Several BNI chapters looked after me well and almost every club rolled out the red carpet. Five years ago today I was near Nottingham and half way through the 92 clubs.

Five years later, I am still involved in The Shirt project and still support whenever I can. As many know I ended up in the UK recently and on my travels I met Sunny Mehta who has owned the Crompton Guest House for over 20 years. He is a huge football fan and immediately was interested to learn more of the project. He read my diary from 2010 and offered to provide a Crompton Guest House shirt. THANKS! The only problem is that he does not have a football shirt. No problem! He introduced me to his son, Rohan who was excited to learn of the trip too. He was actually wearing a Liverpool shirt so I told him about my fantastic day at Anfield. Anyway, Rohan said he would help his dad and designed this unique shirt which I will be happy to wear with pride! Thanks, guys. It would be rude of me not to put a shout out for the Crompton Guest House near Heathrow. I was hugely impressed and I reminded myself of some of the good (and not so good!) places I stayed back in 2010. I can recommend both this Guest House and his second, Bridge House at nearby Osterley if you want a quiet, value-for-money stay in or near Heathrow (15 minutes) or Central London (It took me 30 minutes to Hyde Park Corner). Click here for full details.

Glad that I live am I;
That the sky is blue;
Glad for the country lanes,
And the fall of dew.

After the sun, the rain,
After the rain the sun;
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.

Just a little reflection really. It was 5 years ago today that I was knocked off my bike by a hit-and-run driver.
I was left in a ditch near Hexham, Northumberland and was unconscious for four hours. At this very minute back in 2010, I was in A&E at Newcastle General Hospital feeling pretty sorry for myself. I had cycled up from London, via Birmingham and the North West to Carlisle. I set off from Carlisle United about 11 am and was making good time for Sunderland. The next thing I remember was screaming at the ambulance staff, “Why are you talking to me in English? I am fine in Spanish.” I obviously thought I was still in Spain! Just a bit confused.

So, this is really just a thank you to everybody who has made the last five years so special. If you are reading this, YOU are one of those.

The full story is is here

Day 15 …… 5 years later

This was always going to be the most difficult day of 2015 but, boy, I had NO idea just how bad it was going to be!

If you go back to Day 15 in 2010 it was the day when, sitting in Starbucks in Richmond, I got a phone call from friends in Spain to tell me that my entire life’s possessions had gone up in flames. Yes, a storage centre blaze in Fuengirola, Spain had left me with whatever I had on my bike…..basically dirty clothes!

By absolute chance and for the first time in those five years I found out last week that I was going to be in Richmond. I decided to visit Starbucks to remind myself of that dark day. I was not looking to be melancholic. Rather, the opposite. My little way of thanking the gods and my friends for these last few years. Life has been good to me and whilst I may have lost a “few” clothes and a “few” bits of paper, I always remind myself that many, many people never had them in the first place. I have woken up every morning since I got that call to thank my gods for all I have and, especially, that I am not an Arsenal fan!

Strange things were to happen though to change my plans. Yes, one moment I am standing at a bus stop in Twickenham and the next thing I know I am groggy and being resuscitated by a variety of first-responders, police and a passing doctor. It’s all a bit vague but, anyway, the next thing I know I am in the back of an ambulance which is two-toning it through the streets of London to ……. Well, it was not until I was in A&E at some hospital that I found it was Kingston General, in Kingston-upon-Thames. A HUGE shout out to all the staff who looked after me so well. Yes, even to Harry the porter who successfully banged me knee that was just about to be X-rayed. Sorry, if he heard “words I never heard in the bible.” No sweat, 3 days later, I’m on the mend. There’s nothing broken and I’ll be back out to meet the world full on tomorrow again. I have a HUGE respect for all these guys. I wish there was something I can do to repay the numerous times they have patched me up. Let’s send a thought to them all working 24/7 to keep us on this planet!

All this did not stop me going back to Starbucks where I received that fateful call. I had a cappuccino and raised my cup to all of you who have brought so much to my lives. Many of you, Sir Alex Ferguson, Del Bosque etc would not know me. Others like Cornelis and Bjørn have continued to inspire me and others have made me laugh and cry, smile and groan. Thanks all. Here’s to the next 5 years ……..although, on the 10th anniversary, I think I’ll stay in bed! THANKS, GUYS!

Day 12 …..5 years later

So, what I thought I would do is look back week-by-week on my tour of 2010. Yes, FIVE whole years ago. I am delighted I am still in touch with so many of those who helped and supported me back then. Thanks to your friendship over the years. By chance, this morning I saw a car company called Coys Cars. I am sure they are a GREAT company but not as great as Coys Cars from Torrevieja, Spain who supported me all those years ago and recently supported me on a 90 Day Tour of Spain Mike is a HUGE Wolves fan. They had just finished 15th in the Premier League. Chelsea had won it and Hull, Burnley and Portsmouth went down. Some things never change ….and some stay the same!

The first week I was mainly around London making preparations. I was let down by an insurance company that had promised to sponsor me and the company that had promised me a bike also failed to come good. So, BIG thanks to John Coupland who was my mentor, guide, coach and all-round support person that week. I stayed at his house and he introduced me to a huge number of BNI colleagues.

I started to tick the clubs off on a bike borrowed from his daughter and although Crystal Palace was a bit of a disaster (I arrived the very day it went into administration!), there was better to come at Fulham, Brentford, QPR and Chelsea. Then it was on to Barnet and Watford. Whilst I was away, John managed to secure a bike for me the whole journey and after a couple of days at friend’s homes and hostels, I was back with John and his family for the final few days.

I had my first radio interview arranged for the Friday and in many ways I considered that the “real” beginning of my journey. On Day 12 five years ago, I had no idea what was going to happen on the Thursday, of course!

COPA

I can’t hide it, five years later, I am still a football fanatic. I died a thousand deaths with “my” Manchester United, my Gillingham, my Real Madrid etc yet again this season. United made some progress, Real Madrid failed to take silverware and Gillingham finished mid-table after relegation had looked a possibility. I still follow Norwegian football and laugh at the failings of Arsenal. So all my birthdays came at once when I found the COPA Football Store directly opposite the west entrance to Amsterdam Central Station.

It is a veritable Aladin’s Cave of football shirts and I was delighted to meet the charismatic Angelo on my first visit. I explained my love of football shirts and my trips to all the 92 clubs in the UK. Angelo is a massive Napoli fan and we had a great 15 minutes talking about their greats such as Maradona, Cavani, Higuaín (ex Real Madrid) and, of course, Rafa Benítez.

I found that COPA was founded in 1998 when a football addict started with a small collection of traditionally produced heavy weight cotton football shirts and the collection has grown ever since. Nowadays the collection consists of different lines with retro shirts, jackets & pants, football inspired printed T-shirts & sweaters, baby shirts, functional football apparel, recycled bags and footballs.

Another important reason for European production is that COPA is committed to sustainability and cares about the working conditions of its manufacturing employees. Therefore, all COPA garments are produced with the best possible fabrics and production techniques, and are created by motivated workers who are fairly paid for their dedicated work.

COPA products can be found in retail and online shops as well as this their flagship store in Amsterdam.

I was also delighted to learn that COPA sponsors The Dutch Amputee Football Team. Good luck to the team and respect to COPA to reaching out to not so famous! On their website, there are dozens of photos of the “good and the great” of World football weaing COPA shirts. It was great to see their support of this team. I was privileged to attend the Blind World Cup in Hereford, England in 2010 whilst on my Doing The 92. I know how much these still-able players love the game. Let’s support them!

To learn more about COPA, its products and ethos, please visit the Copa Football website and their Facebook page

In all honesty, I could have stayed all day but I was off to the play-off game between FC Volendam and FC Eindhoven at the tiny Kraas Stadion 20 kms away from town. This is to decide promtion/relegation to/from the top Dutch League, Eredivisie. Instead of 60,000 at Wembley, there were 3500 in this compact little ground which would probably have looked good in the English League Two. Nevertheless one of these teams MIGHT play Ajax and PSV next season. The route is to win this home and away tie and then win another two-legged tie next week. So, a big prize on offer.

The football was probably League One standard but the fans were enthusiastic and created a good atmosphere. The away team had probably 500 very noisy followers who sang for the full 90 minutes ……. in English! Dexy’s Midnight Runners have never run so far! Quite bizarre. The game was pretty even but Volendam went ahead in the 67th minute before tragedy happened and Eindhoven equalised in the 91st minute. Football has its own Fat Lady and Volendam sneaked a winner with just about the last touch of the game. So, 2-1 and now we will have to see whether that is enough to carry them through the return.

I wish them well…… all in all a thoroughly enjoyable day!

Five Years Ago Today

Yes, five years ago today my tour started. It was an early (4am!) start too as I had to get to a BNI meeting way across town from where I was staying. Over the next four months, I will do a weekly round-up of that tour with its many highlights and the, inevitable, looooooooows. I’m delighted to say that I am still in touch with many of the people who supported me all those years ago and I’ll try to update you all on how they are doing.

Tomorrow, I am off to FV Volendam play FC Eindhoven in the play-offs from the Juniper League to the Dutch “premiership”, the Eredvisie but today it’s back to my roots as I interview Manon who has a most remarkable project in Amsterdam. Yes, the need for the support of refugees is as great as ever and equally we are still collecting shirts. A recent arrival was from Globexs and I have one promised from Lopoca in Belgium. Please don’t hesitate to shout if you have one to donate.