More than £12000 has been raised towards the new astroturf by the hardy bunch of OCHC cyclists who rode from Surrey to Den Bosch.
The seven travelled in two groups. The first trio – Nige, Simon and Richie, with Martin and Mel in support – set out from East Horsley on Wednesday morning to tackle the 275-mile ride in three days, with the second group – Gerry, Dougie, Toby and Goalie – leaving a day later, accompanied to Dover by Larry and Eastie with Cato in support.
The first group enjoyed a trouble-free first day to Dover, aside from a downpour in Kent (necessitating a long pub lunch) and some colourful language from Nige whenever he encountered a hill. It was all very relaxed and the doss house in Dunkirk was good preparation for the Hotel Terminus in Den Bosch.
The second group set off on Thursday morning and it almost straight away hit problems with an early puncture. The main group had a ferry to catch and so headed off towards Dover while the long-suffering Cato in the support vehicle cajoled the one-day riders towards Kent. Larry caught the train home from Tunbridge Wells, while Eastie set a record for falling off a bike, eventually jumping in the car from the Kent border to the ferry before he too caught a train home. The remaining four then rode another 20 miles into Belgium before their well-earned sleep.
Meanwhile, the lead trio had a lovely day in the sun with the wind at their backs throughout, making such good time that Virge was able to demand lengthy meal stops in Belgium and the Netherlands. In his mind the trip was fast becoming a gastronomic jaunt.
The third day was gruelling. The trio pressed on, the main upset being when they realised that the King’s Day holiday in the Netherlands meant most cafes were shut. A short detour back into Belgium sorted that. They eased to Den Bosh with sore legs but high spirits almost dead on the scheduled 7pm arrival.
The real drama was happening behind them as the second group, already facing a gruelling 130 mile ride, found the weather and wind against them. It was soon apparent they were behind the clock but they never wavered, despite a puncture and a stop for pain killers causing further delays. They finally arrived to a deserved rapturous welcome from the by now well lubricated Barnstormers in Den Bosch in the dark at 10.15pm. Cato had driven the last leg with the cyclists right up behind him to ease the strain and also for safety reasons, but even so Dougie provided late drama when he hit a kerb one mile from the finish and went over his handlebars.
It was a really good effort from all involved and hopefully when the aches and pains fade (and, in Virge’s case, the indigestion as well) they will look back on their efforts with fondness and pride.
There is still time to add to their fundraising by clicking here … let’s get them up to £15,000.
