5 days left

And it's raining really hard so I can't really train.. I still need to do SO much in terms of packing, buying supplies, taking my bike apart, sorting out insurance and a visa (!!), I know I know, I've not been the most organised of people!!

Just hoping it will all come together!! Sure it will somehow.. and I will fit in the work trip to Lancashire too..

Aaaaghhhhhhhhh

sand dunes and rifle ranges take some dodging!

I continued my tour of the north with my bike.. this week I've had work meetings, and was supposed to cycle miles in between them! Didn't quite work out like that - autumn has set in with a vengeance, and rain stopped play on many occasions.

On one occasion though I was determined. I met some people in Formby, and then set off to cycle the 7 or so miles to Crosby, to check out some sculptures on the beach and have a meeting with colleagues. Armed with.. err, nothing actually, no map, no provisions, and no local knowledge, I figured I could head to the sea, turn left and go along the coast until I reached the iron men on Crosby beach.

What I didn't factor in was sand dunes, a National Trust 'no cycling' rule, and a rifle range. The first two I could have coped with somehow, the rifle range threw me somewhat, and I beat a hasty retreat to the nearest train station! The trip to Crosby was well worth it though - check out the strange but lovely sculpture - the beach there stretches for miles and has dozens of them.

So - only 8 days to go! Do I have insurance, a visa, all my camping gear and supplies? Err, that would be a no. Do I have a nice easy week in which to prepare all these things? Again, no! As usual it will be a mad rush to get everything done - but I'm only £41 short on the sponsorship money - so all those lovely people who have been promising to sponsor me for months, now would be a great time! www.justgiving.com/lee_cycles_ethiopia

12 days and counting..

Long time no blog. It's been a whirlwind two weeks, and not always for the best, in fact decidedly for the worst. Blogging has been far from my mind -but I shall attempt to make up for that.

I've been training - and hard. But it's been against the odds, as my Nan died suddenly. I won't show a public outpouring of grief right here, but you can imagine it's not been easy to think about training/fundraising/going to Ethiopia in the midst of such family sadness.

However - thanks to some very kind people (Tom, Kath, Sheila, Panna, Lucy thank you!), my fundraising quiz night went on at the Duke of Norfolk in Brighton without me, and raised £120. Sponsorship has been pouring in from lovely individuals, and I'm massively grateful. At the time of writing, I only have £101 left to make! Check out my fundraising site for all the lovely messages left for me: www.justgiving.com/lee_cycles_ethiopia.

Training... talk about hills! I went on a ride in the South Downs last week organised by Steve, the Maternity Worldwide cycle leader. Very hard work, and brought home the reality that I STILL struggle on hills, and I'll never be at the front of the group. I don't care about that.. I just don't want to hold people up!

I managed to bring my bike up to my parents' on the train, and yesterday met my friend Mark for a ride to Chatsworth House. I cam honestly say it was the hardest bike ride I've ever done. Mark is fast, and strong - and luckily for me very patient :-)

So as the days are counting down, I'm in the north for work (with my bike) and looking forward to finding cycle routes in and around Blackpool, Liverpool and Cumbria. It's tough at the moment, for plenty of reasons, but I'm really determined to keep going - and all that sponsorship really helps.

Thanks! xx

Too much party not enough pedal!

Well, it has to be said I turned 30 in style - sharing a huge party with Chris and Matt, two of my best mates, with literally tons of people all coming to Brighton to help us celebrate. And celebrate we did!! 12 hours solid of partying - a live singer, a DJ, great food, and fab guests (except the git who broke the door to let the cat out - despite the cat flap!). All in all a very memorable evening, I'll treasure it forever.. :-)

You may wonder what having a massive 30th birthday party has to do with getting in shape for a 250 mile bike ride. And you'd be right to wonder - because it has NOTHING to do with it, I haven't cycled for days!! Ooh err, need to get those legs pedalling - and soon. Luckily there's an organised bike ride this weekend, led by the fab cycle leader Steve.. 40 miles in the South Downs. So I'll be able to see how rubbish I am compared with the other people going on the trip - sure that's going to make me feel loads better!

On a serious 'turning 30' note - it's made me think about life and all that. And realise I'm really lucky to live here, and when/if the time comes for maternity services (don't worry Mum, it's a few years off yet!!) I'll be able to get the support i need. Not so for women of my generation in Ethiopia and other countries. Every minute a woman somewhere in the world dies in pregnancy or childbirth - shocking statistics.

The fundraising is sometimes creeping, and sometimes leaping, upwards. Nearly there my friends - if you can sponsor me a few pounds, every little bit really really helps.

www.justgiving.com/lee_cycles_ethiopia

Training weekend part 2..

..it started with sunburn and ended in hail stones!

And I now know I can cycle 50 miles in a day, then get back on my bike the next day and keep on pedalling! Not sure how we managed.. but Justina and I took a few wrong turns and detours on a planned 36 mile ride - and did an extra 14 miles, ending up at Justina's family's house in Hastings in the pitch black, exhausted but over the moon at our efforts. Despite the sore bums and hands and hips and various other complaints, we hope we're turning into proper cyclists, who might just be able to cope with the Ethiopian hills.

At least we won't have to cope with the erratic British weather. When we set out on the Hastings trip on Sunday, it was really hot and sunny, by the time Tuesday came, it took us 6 hours to do 25 miles in the pouring rain and gale force winds!

Great news this week was that Maternity Worldwide are the Radio 4 appeal - if you want to remember why you have or are going to sponsor me (ha ha), Caroline Hawley explains it really well here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/religion/radio4appeal.shtml

Summer's arrived

It took it's time, but finally, at the end of September, the sun has come out to play. I chose the best weekend of the year it seems to have a serious training ride.

Lucky me, work sent me to the Isle of Wight for a meeting - so I decided to take my bike, cycle between meetings and stay an extra day. I've done 50 miles in the past 2 and a half days - and with all the hills on the island, I now have buns of steel! Ok, well not quite, I'm no cycling pro - but confidence is as important as anything else, and I'm starting to think that maybe - just maybe - I'll make it across Ethiopia! The 'nappy' padded shorts, bought for me by my brother, are a life saver!

And the weekend doesn't stop there - I have Monday and Tuesday off work, and my friend and fellow cyclist Justina and I are cycling to Hastings and back! 75 miles in 3 days.. with stops off to see friends and attend tea parties on the way :-)

Remember - give my training a boost by sponsoring me at www.justgiving.com/lee_cycles_ethiopia

Bring on the hills..

Fundraising bonanza - a taste of East Africa!

Well, i'm on a fundraising high. Lots of colleagues and friends turned out last night to my Taste of East Africa evening, hosted by Kitfo House Restaurant in Vauxhall. If you're in the area*, you have to go along and try their Ethiopian menu - it's the best. The friendly lads who run the restaurant will give you a demonstration on how to eat the Ethiopian way - with your hands.

Thanks to Kitfo House, I raised £200 towards my total! Thanks to everyone who helped, cooked, and to those who turned up and ate! It was a really special night for me - not only did I raise money for Maternity Worldwide, my friends and colleagues got to come and experience a bit of Ethiopian culture, food and music. Getting excited to be in my fave country again :-)

*Kitfo House restaurant is at 49 South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London, SW8 1RH.

On another fundraising high - today I had to eat my words! I have revelled in calling my clever little sister a scrounging student for the past 2 years. But now she's started her final year, she seems to have left the 'poor student' badge behind, and has massively generously sponsored me 40 quid. I was really really touched to see that huge amount - and even more touched that she apparently couldn't ask for a better sister. Perhaps a sister who spent less time training and fundraising and more time visiting her in Stoke would be a better sister - but fear not Amester, when this ride is over I'm reclaiming my life!

So.. inevitably, as one thing rises another falls.. and my training is seriously behind! Look at me - more at home in an Ethiopian scarf in London than on a bike in the Ethiopian highlands!

However.. I've got big plans on that front - and this weekend I'm doing some mega bike rides around the south of England. I have to go to the Isle of Wight for work, so Saturday will see me pedalling those feet around unexplored (by me) country and coastal roads, getting those legs in shape. Then come Sunday my co-cyclist and good mate Justina and I are going to cycle to Hastings! The next 5 days will be spent pedalling up as many hills as humanly possible!

Good job my brother bought me some padded shorts for my birthday.. thanks Dan!

A million miles away - and only 6 weeks to go

Today I've never felt further from Ethiopia, it's a strange feeling, and I'm not sure I like it. I'm in Shirebrook, the town where I grew up, visiting my family for birthday cake and a long overdue catch up.

But I've not cycled for a week.. and it's worrying me. I've been drinking too - well it has been my 30th birthday - but it's not great for my training regime. This morning I tried to get back into the fitness thing, and went for a run with my brother. Every step seemed to be a struggle though. I guess there are highs and lows in training, and this is definitely a low!

On the other hand, fundraising is going well. I was in my Mum and Dad's local paper last week, and a few people have gone into the Co-op to tell my Mum they'll sponsor me. And I have a big event on Tuesday - my Taste of East Africa night.. more news on that soon!!

I guess I just need to keep at it.. on both the training and the fundraising sides.. could do with a boost right now!!

OK, from Monday when I'm back in Brighton, I am back on the case seriously!

Happy Birthday to me..

Well, it was because I'm turning 30 that I agreed to do this in the first place! By now I was supposed to be svelte, fit and raring to go.

Right now I feel None Of The Above.

No time for even a short cycle for 5 days now, and I'm away without my bike for the next 5! Aaagh, I'm going to be worse than ever. Must take my trainers and fit in a run or two.. how hard can that be? It's so easy to get out of the habit of exercise, and now is so not the time to do that!

Had a lovely birthday.. my friends are the best and made it really special - but now must focus!!

Big hard bike ride right around the corner!

Happy New Year - Ethiopian Style

Great day today - it's Ethiopian New Year (2001 in the Ethiopian calendar), so I decided to organise a bake sale at work. Easy - get a few mates to bake cakes, arrange prettily on a desk and invite people to come and help themselves - leaving lovely charitable donations in the 'honesty box'. Had fabulous cakes, my friends at work really went out of their way with American Spiced Cake, Brownies, Ginger cake, Muffins, and loads more. After doing the rounds with the tea trolley this afternoon, I absolutely sold out of cake, and made a wopping £92.50. To top it off the boss made it up to £100.

A hundred pounds closer to my target of £2,000, and lots of happy cake-filled colleagues. What could be better?

On the training front though I'm far from my bike - staying with friends in North London. First day in 8 days without cycling. I'm hoping that a couple of days off the bike won't take me back to square one!

Anyway, for now Melkam Addis Amet - happy new year!

Remember - to give my fundraising a boost go to www.justgiving.com/lee_cycles_ethiopia

First entry - seven and half weeks left

I have never ever blogged before, but then again I have never ever cycled across Ethiopia before, or ever believed I could. And do I believe it now, with less than 8 weeks to go? Perhaps.. on a good day I believe I can 'probably' do it. On a bad day there is absolutely no chance, and I am convinced I will sit in a cloud of my own shame in the back of a four-wheel-drive while 'real' cyclists pedal easily and happily up massive hills all around me.

I turn 30 in less than a week - it's all the fault of the big 3-O, and the silly suggestion by some of last year's cyclists that I should do it myself. I have done the trip - twice - as a member of the staff support team. I have ridden up those hills in a truck, and helped to cook food, put up tents and entertain tired cyclists. I can't kid myself - I know how steep those hills are, I know how hot it gets, and I know that even experienced, 'cycle up hills all the time' type cyclists often struggle.

So why am I doing it? I in fact have a very good reason - and that keeps me going through all the gruelling training and difficult fundraising. Up to 1 in 7 women die in pregnancy or childbirth in some parts of Ethiopia. That figure sickens me to the core. Women younger - much younger - than me, without the access to good quality maternity care or medical intervention when needed, are dying in their millions around the world. Every minute a woman dies somewhere in pregnancy or childbirth somewhere in the world. It's not fair, not fair at all. So I am raising £2,000 for the work of Maternity Worldwide, and hopefully raising awareness of their work as I cycle across difficult terrain to their project in Gimbie, Western Ethiopia.

So when I'm moaning through training rides (which I do!) and cringing at the thought of having to arrange yet another 'charity singles night' (which I also do!), I try to think about the difference all this effort will make to the work of Maternity Worldwide, and ultimately to women in western Ethiopia.

Who am I to wonder if I will "survive" the bike ride? Of course I will survive - it will be really hard work but I'll get there. Much lower odds of survival go to the woman in Ethiopia who just got pregnant, who lives 3 days walk from the nearest hospital, and who can't afford the care she needs when she gets there. Let's hope that she survives.

If you want to support my Ethiopia Bike Ride Challenge, please visit my fundraising page on www.justgiving.com/lee_cycles_ethiopia. Messages of encouragement and support are also really important, and keep my legs turning those pedals!