Sorry ….really nothing more to say. I “lost” most of day 56 to an ocular migraine and to the defoliating effects of tarmac. Ladies, all those defoliants you buy in the chemist stores are nowhere near as effective as tarmac I assure you!

Anyway, I look to learn something from every day and I have found today that

1) An ocular migraine that allows you to “see” six screens at once does not mean that you can get six times the amount of work done at once. It means you are lucky if you can get one sixth of the work done that you normally can.

2) The good people at Ecademy are working tirelessly in the background to assist me in this trip. Thanks particularly to all who contributed to this thread started by the ever-supportive Georgina Lester.

If you are not already a member of Ecademy please let me have your details and I will send you a complimentary introductory membership. My little way of thanking those who have supported me.

My whole journey also got a huge “lift” when the owners of www.doingthe92.co.uk recognised my efforts and even placed my banner on their front page. This is very significant as this site brings together all those fans/fanatics/idiots (choose your favourite word!) who are looking to visit all the 92 grounds. Obviously none have cycled the entire route but it is a source of great information for all who are interested in the grounds of England and Wales. They focus on those who see an actual game at each ground but it is a great resource and I am delighted to be linked to it.

The very least I could do was to make them sponsor of the day! Talking about sponsors, I got some vague promise from my main “sponsor” that I would be paid next Monday. Whilst 19th July is good, 19th April would have been more in keeping with your agreement. Anyway, let’s see because if they do pay that will cover the bike and medicaments for this week. Happy Days.

Things are getting back to normal.

David and I travelled over to Hexham by car to collect my bike from the police station and it looks as if all is well with it. We found a great cycle shop (that Bjorn had used last year!) and he has promised to get the bike back together by next Monday. This means it will be ready before I am!! At the moment it’s in a few pieces but he seemed to think that a bike was like a jigsaw and provided that none of the pieces were broken you could take it to pieces and put it back together as often as you liked.

I also got a really nice email from Nigel Dickinson at Carlisle United wishing me well. (I was on my way from Carlisle’s ground when the accident happened). By chance, he is also a cyclist and by a wicked stroke of fate he was also in a bad crash recently. We are comparing bruises. Get well soon, Nigel!

How I got to Nigel is quite interesting and is a huge endorsement for BNI and a testimony to what BNI really CAN do – I was struggling to get a top level contact at Carlisle United but BNI Edwin, Carlise came up with FIVE contacts from four separate members. 45 minutes later I was at Brunton Park the home of the local club. Their Operations Manager was delighted to get good PR for the club and I was delighted to get great photos. Thanks all at BNI Edwin and Nigel Dickinson at Carlisle United. In particular, I would like to thank Nicky Hill from the RBS who even made a call to Nigel asking for his assistance. Thanks, all.

The bruising is going down, the scars are getting smaller and all the normal colours are coming back to my skin. I will lose one finger nail but that’s an absolute insignifcance. The police said how lucky I had been and apart from using the tarmac as a defoliant on my face and legs there is no real harm done. Sadly, it has put all appointments back one week so there is some juggling to do but it could all have been a lot worse.

Today, we also got a shirt from Walsall throught Graham Parry. The chairman heard how I had been treated and wanted to make amends so sent a signed shirt. Thanks Walsall – you are now erased from my list of shame.

Nigel Dickinson

Sorry for the standard update. If I owe you a personalised response I will get back to you soonest.

Just to confirm that I was in a serious road accident but that I am now out of danger and have been released from hospital. I was with the doctors again today and will be back with them on Friday
If I owe you or yours emails, photos, updates etc I apologise
If there is anything urgent please communicate with me privately and I will attend to it.

Normal service will be resumed asap but all meetings/appointments etc will have to be rescheduled. I am sorry for any inconvenience. I have been told not to walk never mind cycle for at least 7/10 days and the doctors will want to give me a full M.O.T.

I have no access to the phone as the police have held on to my mobiles As I say, I am out of danger and enjoyed Spain’s World Cup win. ¡A por ellos!

Thanks for your kind wishes for my health and/or birthday! They are much appreciated.

Quick Update

still in hospital but on the mend

The ribs are not broken only heavily bruised. Breathing is now OK and don’t need oxygen mask

Face is still a bit of a mess – good job I was always and ugly guy!
That will clean up in time I am sure

Looks like I have cheated death again – thrird time. Guess I must be a cat.

Priest called in 1986,, horrow car crash in 2005 and now this. never minmd “Lucky Jim” I must be lucky stve

Thanks for all your kind wishes. Tyoing is difficult so please accept this rather me writing individually. Will catch up in the days agead

Enjoy Spain against the Netherlands. I hope to

I was involved in traffic accident. I am OK and no need to worry but no access to www.

Will update soonest Thanks for all kind greetings

Normal services will be resumed as soon as possible….. as they say!

Pleasant stay with great breakfast at Arkale Lodge in Carlisle and owner gave me short-cut to Carlisle United’s ground. Passed Brunton Park and hope to return later to get a story and some “official” photos (especially as adding the 36th club put on an extra three days to the journey!)

In the meantime, below are photos of their ground, a statue of Hugh McIlmoyle who became a legend at Carlisle in the 60s and 70s and the rugby club next door. I have to say that the Brunton Park pitch looks in absolute perfect condition.

From there it was a a quick ride to meet Tony Stephenson at TheBestOfCarlisle who gave me an overview of Carlisle and recommended Indigo as the best Indian Restaurant within 100 miles. Indigo sounds too good to miss so I will be shooting down there later as anybody who knows anything about me will tell you I am a huge Indian fan!

Ònly one possible highlight today. Spain getting through to the World Cup Final

Well, that is not quite true as I enjoyed the best BNI meeting for many a long day at Kendal. It was a great buzzy meeting, excellently hosted by Stuart Nelson with a good education slot and a very slick 10 minutes’ slot by Stuart’s dynamic wife, Sharon.

From there it was on to what I knew would be the toughest day of the whole tour from a cycling point of view. I set off from Kendal in the hope of making Carlisle but being realistic that I might not make it because of one word…Shap. Those of you who know Shap will know why I had to be careful. Shap is one of the highest summits in England with some frightening climbs. I was delighted that I was through the worst by 1,45 and after a (very!) extended lunch I was ready to continue. Shap to Penrith is not for the faint-hearted either but I was pleased to crack that section and that just left me the (relatively) easy last 17 miles to Carlisle. The need to get to Carlisle and somewhere to stay before the Spain game must have spurred me on as I arrived in the city just a few moments before the game started. What a game it was. Spain new meet Holland in the final after Carles Puyol’s magnificent header ¡A por ellos! Already looking forward to Sunday’s Final.

ANOTHER TRUE HIGHLIGHT

I am struggling to think of a day where there has not been some highlight to help me cope with the physical, emotional and mental challenges.

Today there were two.

1) A superb BRX meeting at the Marriot, Preston. A great meeting in a superb venue ….although sadly outside refugee budgets

and then

2) Ed Nash kindly arranged an invitation to a Barclays Bank seminar. My first reaction was, “Oh no. A seminar run by a bank.” I think realised that if Ed had recommended it then it must be worthwhile. He was right. I was wrong. The presenter was the superb Geoff Ramm. Entertaining, informative and a consummate professional. He kept a packed room hanging on his every word for almost three hours and when you consider the quality of entrepreneur in the audience that was some feat. I was delighted to have a chance to speak with Geoff in private and I would very much like to do a gig with him in his native North East this autumn.

I definitely recommend you check his site and follow him on twitter.

So another 5am start and it was almost 3 before I set off for Kendal. To be honest, I was ready for bed but knew there was a 5 hour journey ahead. I stopped off at Morecambe where I was unceremonioulsy escorted off the building site that is their new stadium. (Their previous stadium at Christy Road is almost a Sainsburys. IMHO they will NOT be ready for the beginning of the season and I can see them forefiting home advantage at least for the first few weeks of the season!

By chance I passed their neighbour’s ground but I do not think that the Football League will allow them to play on the Lancaster City ground just a few miles down the road.

From there it was a two hour plus trek to Kendal where Stuart Nelson and his wife Sharon had kindly offered to host me. Food, water, a shower and clean sheets were enough to excite me but the 21″ screen on a Mac was also pretty exciting too! Remind me how sad I am!

Huge thanks to Alan Higham for hosting me back on Merseyside. Alan is an executive director with BNI and an all round good guy. Pleasure to meet. Sadly I could only stay the one night and then I was off to the Ibis in Preston where fortunately I was only booked in for one night. Worst hotel en route …. although huge thanks to BRX for funding it.

“….and now for something completely different” (Monty Python)

Well, maybe not that different – a professional sports club, financial “issues” and photos at a new stadium.

It’s Sunday and it’s been a long week. I am treating myself to a quiet day. I have a meal and a sofa promised by BNI Regional Director, Alan Higham. He is less than an one hour’s cycle away ….and not a mountain in sight. The world is sweet!

Just up the road from my hotel is the new Halton Stadium (AKA Stobart Stadium after the sponsor, Eddie Stobart) which was built on the site of the old Naughton Park. It would be rude of me not to pop in!

Now the clever thing is to have a GREAT team and a GREAT stadium at the SAME time but sadly this is something Widnes Vikings Rugby League have not quite got right. When I was a huge Bradford Northern fan in the 70, 80s and 90s Widnes were one of the very top teams with a squad full of household names Bowden, Elwell, Jim Mills (the hardest man I have ever met) Jonathan Davies, Hughes, Laughton, Wright etc etc. I remember some titanic battles at both Odsal and Naughton Park.

Widnes also had one of the worst stadiums in the country! Now, they have a terrific stadium but are not even in the Super League. Yet, just 20 years ago they were the first ever club to win the world club championship and were always in the chase for one bit of silverware or other. Great team – lousy stadium. Somewhat ironic!