After booking my entry and making sure I set a
reasonable fundraising target, a few days later I received my T-shirt, stickers
with my rider number and most importantly my allotted time slot: 9:30am.
My chosen starting point was the Royal Hospital
Chelsea. At 9.30 on Sunday I was ready,
clean bike with my rider number on my helmet bike frame. Perhaps you have already guessed that I am
your typical MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra). I love to cycle and wearing my
lycra sports gear is equally important. Yes, MAMILs might look ridiculous, but
I must confess, I think we look cool. To my delight, there were plenty of
MAWILs and YWILs as well.The first leg of the bikeathon was going east, from Chelsea to the Thames barrier, passing through the City, sometimes using the unbelievably smooth blue cycle lanes. There were no traffic closures for this event, but it was incredibly well sign posted and there were marshals along the route to guide and cheer you up. There were also pit stops along the way manned by volunteers serving refreshments, bananas and mechanics to fix any problem you might have with your bike. When I arrived at the Thames Barrier I had a small snack, looked around and continued riding going west this time, passing through Fulham, Richmond park and finally arriving at Hampton Court Palace. By then I was quite tired, I had done 40 miles. I filled my water bottle and indulged in an ice cream and resumed my last leg of the journey, back to the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
On arrival to the Hospital, I crossed the finish line and was awarded a medal to great applause from the public. I promptly went home to be with my family, who for obvious reasons, were reluctant to hug and kiss me when they saw me. After a long shower and a good rest I promptly told the world on FB about my achievement and reminded them to give generously to the charity I support. Not surprisingly, within a day I had nearly reached my target. You might want to contribute as well, please go to: www.justgiving.com/rolando-stein
by Rolando Stein
Note: It is important that you prepare yourself beforehand when planning to take part in any demanding sport activity. I am a frequent road bike cyclist, nevertheless I trained for this race starting a week before the event. Always wear a heart monitor and don’t overdo it!!
The Royal Hospital
Chelsea: http://www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/
London Bikeathon for
Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research: http://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/get-involved-sports-challenges-cycling/london-bikeathonVisit the FOCUS website: www.focus-info.org
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