What an incredible experience, as I reflect on our three day charity bike ride challenge in aid of Wiltshire Air Ambulance – with 3 gruelling days in the saddle for me and my wife Gaynor.
Over the 3 days at the end of June 2024 we cycled a total distance of 301kms and a total altitude of 3307m – more than 3 climbs up Snowdon from sea level!
We were lucky with the weather, but the heat took its toll as did the headwinds. With 8 hours in the saddle each day, the challenge certainly was a challenge!
A huge thank you to everyone who’s donated and helped us reach our target of £4500, the cost of one life saving mission in the helicopter.
A special mention to Grant UK, Bechtle UK and the partners at Spa Medical Centre for their support.
Thank you Naomi Barker at WAA for all your support behind the scenes.
If you would like to make a donation there’s still time!
Finally, here’s a few photos from the ride and our Strava stats so you can feel our pain!
Day One
Day one was our longest day at 106km and 875m of climbs. Thankfully not too hilly to start with so we could get the legs warmed up!
We started at the WAA airbase in Semington with a fantastic send off from the WAA mascot. Our first day took us north to Malmesbury, across to the Cotswold waterpark and finally south to Avebury and our first overnight stay in Marlborough.
Day Two
This was the big one – 99km and 1350m of climbs!
The sun was out and it was hot from the start. We headed off from Marlborough through the stunning Savernake forest and quickly started climbing onto the Wessex Downs.
The day continued with non-stop hills as we briefly dipped into Hampshire then Dorset and back into Wiltshire. After 9 hours we arrived at our destination, hot, sweaty and exhausted but feeling great after a stunning day on the bike.
Day Three
We started with damp conditions following overnight rain. The roads were slippy but thankfully it was much cooler 😀
Our route took us west towards Bruton and briefly into Somerset before heading north to Bradford on Avon and back to the airbase.
Naomi Barker from WAA was there to greet us along with the crew. We were on a high – we’d completed the challenge and it was great to jump off the saddle and relax!
And as we packed up, the crew received a call out, and within a couple of minutes they were airborne and away.
A timely reminder of the important work they do!
