Author Archive

“Down to the Brighton, where it’s hot” (The Kinks?)

I wake in the shadow of Fratton Park and know it’s going to be a “long one”

Brighton here I come!

It’s a Game of Two Halves

Fantastic weather – few hills but little luck at the clubs. Longest day ever – Dorchester, Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth almost exactly 90 miles but After more than 3 hours in the cycle there was nobody to see me at Bournemouth and the receptionist showed little interest. 21 hours later the “promised” call still has not been received. Then on to Southampton through the gorgeous New Forest. Lovely afternoon ride but got to the St Marys stadium at 5,30 …..and everybody had gone for the day. To stay or to go? I have to be in Crawley for this evening which is 105 miles from Southampton so I pressed on. I arrived at Fratton Park at 9pm so it was just a quick swing around the ground and into the Etap next door.

Early start today to Brighton and then Crawley so will have to update this post and add photos later.

A highlight day

BNI Ivel get me in to stadium at Huish Park and meet Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton. Thanks to Jon Majeika, Paul Clegg and ex-Yeovil star and chapter member Michael Spencer for organising this. Photos to follow.

Then to meet Lawrence Dagnall BNI AD in Weymouth/Dorchester who is learning Spanish. Happy to help. Coincidentally, Lawrence opened the very first chapter I went to – Hogarth in Chiswick, London. Small world.

It’s all good news!

The last few weeks have been absolute disasters financially and I have really struggled to get sponsors. For that reason I was delighted when Carolyn Williams oragnised a raffle at the Swansea events last week as otherwise the refugee budget would not have been able to cover this weekend’s accommodation. Thanks Carolyn and thanks to all at BNI Waterfront. You saved the week. Today I got some great news that I have a sponsor for the next week! I think Rob is a bit shy about being thanked but it’s a HUGE thanks to you, Rob. You know who you are even if you don’t want the world to! Eighty euros should see me through until next weekend and I hope to have some more sponsors as I get nearer London where I have many friends and contacts. Here’s hoping!

BUT BUT BUT ….. much more important Bjørn has announced his plans for NEXT summer.

On his blog he writes

Norway is ca 2500 km. If you take Norway out of a map and turn it, then it goes al the way to Italy, so yes!! it is a long country…

I have found that you first have to say it, then write it on the wall, then hang a note on the refrigerator.

Then comes the vision writing, goals, a methodology of “tools” and start training and planning.

Now I’ve said it and written it and hung the note on the refrigerator. New patches and huge sheet shall be made, made and hung on the wall. There is 1. Vision 2. Goals and 3. Methods

Vision
Visions Nr one has started: “what should I do and see – what shall I make – for me and who?”.

Objectives;
“How, how fast / slow, what should be achieved, for whom and how much can be measured? Should I create pr / media for UNHCR/NRC and @refugees as in 2009/10, or any other? Should I do other collection? I know one thing and that is that “The Shirt”, will be extended and used. I do believe it is the world’s greatest symbol of uniting and it should be extended.

Methods and tools;
Ski, kayak, bike?
Pr, media, presentations to raise awareness?
Spinning shows in 20 cities? (Spinning Norway to South Africa in an hour with pictures and cool music)
As last time without sponsors or with?
Fast and play super fit – or slowly and experience? ”
What should I collect other then football shirts? Stories, food, culture, photos, beer signs, flowers, sunsets??
What does collections lead to?…

I know I’m going to collect more examples and metaphors of motivation, willingness, exploring, and controlled insanity. I know I’ll make more on the topic of “community” and “methods for the PR and media.” I know that communication is a core …

Norway lengthwise is to be carried out and I hope you join the journey from today. Thats the writing on the walls and notes on the refrigerator..

😉

Bjorn Heidenstrom

Meanwhile, back in the saddle. A VERY early start before a tough day. Actually it was my earliest ever start for the toughest ever day. It started with a slow 6 mile climb and progressed to steep hills and then steeper hills. Delighted to arrive ahead of schedule in Yeovil – safe and well. The bike is parked up for the night at a pub with the friendliest landlord of the trip. Say “hi” to Pete at The Quicksilver Mail in Yeovil. He thinks I’m mad but quickly sorted food and drink, so that’s good enough for me. If you, your car or bike can make it, the pub is at the top of Hendford Hill and it’s worth the climb! Loads of CAMRA certificates and the cheapest water and blackcurrant in the UK. Something for everybody then!

Gorgeous weather and the first time it has not rained in 10 days. Life is sweet …..oh and Man City lost last night. It does not get better LOL.

Looking forward to BNI Ivel after a good night’s sleep!

La Liga starts

Guys, if you think I am fanatical about English football think again! La Liga started in Spain this weekend as did the Segunda, Segunda B and Tercera which are the second, third and fourth levels of Spanish football. For the first time in 10 years I am not there willing my two teams on. Yes, as in the UK with Manchester United and Gillingham so in Spain do I have two teams Real Madrid and FC Torrevieja. Actually in Spain I have three who I follow as I moved down to Málaga two years ago and quickly fell in love with the team from La Rosaleda. For the first time in many years I was only 20 minutes away from a top flight club ……. and I was quickly sucked in to the day to day involvement which is simply impossible with Madrid 500 kms away. So, it all felt kind of strange not being in a noisy, smoke-filled bar with 7 screens showing 5 different channels (and often a few radio stations for good measure!) Barcelona won convincingly with Villa scoring on his league debut whilst Madrid struggled on Mallorca. My beloved FC Torrevieja from the Alicante province won and after a few months that are memorable only for off-field “issues” it was great to see the 1-0 scoreline being texted through to me. ¡A por ellos!

I’m all packed up, with (hopefully) emails, blogs, newspaper articles all up to date on what promises to be one of the toughest weeks of my life. At dawn I set off for Yeovil and then I am off to Dorchester, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Crawley and Gillingham before I reach Benfleet next Saturday. On Sunday it is “The Big One” AKA The 2 Annual Ecademy Cricket Challenge where I am expected to play for King and Country and where my only intention is to catch up on sleep from the terraces!

Have a great week and if I struggle to keep the blog up-to-date I apologise in advance.

Tough Days, Tough Hills

What a week!

I had NO idea how tough the cycling in the South West would be. The hills are merciless, the rain unforgiving…….. and Torquay United’s ground seems to be at the top of a mountain! I had hoped to ride on today but the “easiest” road from Newton Abbot to Exeter is a straight 10 miles uphill climb and the infamous Exeter Hill from Teignmouth to Dawlish is simply a killer so I’ve decided to stay over and make a dash for Wells tomorrow.

Last night I went to bed with my laptop and was asleep before I had read my first email. 13 hours later I woke up!

So, as Bjørn warned me this would be a trip of high HIGHS and low LOWS. The visits to Keith and Carolyn in Hereford and Swansea were among the highest of the many highs. The night sitting outside is best simply forgotten about.

Happy memories keep me going. This is the “gang” from Swansea.

What else keeps me going? Knocking the grounds off one by one and today it was the turn of Exeter City. Sadly nobody was there to welcome me but it was good to get ground 71 ticked off and rejoice that it was very easy to find, well signposted …… and not at the top of a mountain!

Torquay Come Up with the Goods! BNI come up with the Goods again.

I was delighted to be present at the Ten Tors Inn for a superb breakfast meeting. It came as absolutely no surprise that director Chris Fleet came up with a contact at Plainmoor and 45 minutes I was chatting with Darryl Haggan the Torquay United website & programme editor. Top guy – football through and through and also gave me great directions out of town which must have halved the distance back to the ring road! He was a credit to the club and Torquay United (unlike their neighbours Plymouth Argyle) are a club whose results I will now look out for. Come on you Gulls!

All hail also to Chris Wood from Wotton Printers. He saw I did not have business cards and within two hours produced 500. That makes him a worthy “Sponsor of the Day”. Huge thanks to both men called Chris!

So, a day which had started so badly ended up being successful. As Bjørn used to warn me, “Expect HIGH highs and LOW lows.” He was correct.

Thankfully they are not all like this!

I arrived at Plymouth Argyle more in hope than expectation. They had not responded to my email of introduction and as I cycled through the park to the ground I was tempted to stop off at the circus which was drawing large crowds with lots of excited children seemingly oblivious to the fact that they were walking down a cycle path and were leaving the pedestrian path empty! Anyway, I digress. I was not hugely surprised to find nobody interested enough to even come out to say “hi”. It is after all only the most southern point on the football map and I am sure they get lots of people who cycle 3000 miles to see them. I waited outside their reception for 30 minutes, caught up on my emails and cycled on. Not one of the highlights of the tour but an omenous pre-cursor to what was to come!

Arrived at the venue for tomorrow’s early morning BNI meeting very late at night only to find there is no accommodation, no other within miles and the pub is in the middle of absolute nowhere.

I really did not need that after 7 hours in the saddle. No room at the inn and not a back of a lorry or Wendy House in site!

So, I realised that this was my first “real” night as a refugee. I only got 2 hours sleep and that was sitting in the beer garden. It was my first night outside and I had only a thin towel as a blanket. It reminded me that what I do for a few weeks, others have to do for a few years. The cold and wind finally kicked in at about 4am so I went for a walk to keep warm. The doors to the BNI meeting inn opened at 6am and, not surprisingly, I was first in! No coffee has ever tasted so good!
So, as Bjørn warned me this would be a trip of high HIGHS and low LOWS. today was without doubt one of the VERY lowest. The recent visits to Keith and Carolyn in Hereford and Swansea were among the highest of the many highs. The night sitting outside is best simply forgotten about.

MORE RAIN

I am getting a bit fed up with all the rain to say the least. Still, nothing I can do and it’s just a question of ploughing on and getting the last grounds covered. Got some great photos of Monday’s reception at Morgans. HUGE thanks to Carolyn

Last day of rest before BIG push to finishing line.

One thing that I have realised is that there is only so far the body will do on “empty.” The gods of travllers’ diaries have conspired a little in the last few days of the project and I need to get from Yeovil to Southend in 5 days (via Southampton, Bournemouth and Brighton). Why Southend? Well, my dear friend Milton has some mad idea that I want to play cricket after some 2,000 miles in the saddle. It would be good to see you at Southend – especially if you can bat, bowl or ease my aching bones! Seriously, one thing I have realised as I cycle around is that I should support those who support me. Milton and his colleagues at Ecademy have been a great support. (More on this tomorrow). Realistically, this is my last few hours of R&R and an opportunity to tidy blogs, add photos, confirm appointments etc.

It also seemed opportune to thank all those who have supported me in “oh, so many ways” as the song goes. The trouble is that it is invidious to single one person or a group of people out so I deleted the ever-growing list and thought I would simply say, “If you are reading this, I thank you with all my heart.” Yes, I thank you for offering me as in Steve Hall, the Mad Cyclist, millions of kinds of support, aid, help and assistance. YOU know who you are.

I’ll have an early night, look forward to Swansea Waterfront BNI and then I am off, head down, to Plymouth, Exeter and Torquay. I’ll apologise now if there is not too much daily comment as I have many miles and no accommodation in my diary for the next seven days. If you are in the South West and want to say “hi” I’d love to pull over for a while. If you have a bed, sofa, back of a lorry, Wendy House or whatever so much the better but all contacts are welcome.

Bjørn continues his efforts and the horrifying facts and figures he forwarded today from UNHCR remind me just why I am doing this little journey. Please remind yourself here of the scale of the refugee problem.