Pedal for Scotland 2011 was very much a family event this year with Dawn, Mark, Stephen (Edens’s dad) and friend Suzanne all taking part to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust Gene Therapy Appeal.

 

We, and about 9000 other riders, set off in the early hours of Sunday 11th from Murrayfield Stadium on the bus to Glasgow with our bikes ferried courtesy of TNT lorries to Glasgow Green. Once we arrived it was a bit of queue to get started but eventually we headed off about 9.30.  The weather seemed to be closing in as the forecasters predicted we would get hit by the tail of Hurricane Katja but it seemed like it may hold off.

 

After winding our way through the quiet Glasgow streets it seemed like quite a quick 12 miles when we arrived at Drumpelier Country Park.  We then made the transition to the quieter country roads toward Avonbridge, fully anticipating some great home baking. At this point the flipping forecasters seemed to have got the single prediction about the weather right and we experienced some heavy showers on the descent into Avonbridge. 25 miles down! The lovely local church group helped us dry out with some excellent baking and warming soup, which we took full advantage of (some more than others, eh Mark?) and made the 20 minute stop quite enjoyable, with a jazz trio keeping up the spirits of the soggy riders.

 

On setting off for the next stage, some confusion arose.  Stephen had already head off ahead to get back home as soon as he could, leaving the 3 Gorebridge girls behind. Mark thought that Dawn and Suzanne had already left so raced (he said he raced) up the killer ascent out of Avonbridge to the next checkpoint in Linlithgow, not realising that Dawn and Suzanne were still trying to find him in Avonbridge! After quite a pleasant ride we got into Linlithgow and via the wonders of SMS decided that we should all meet up in Kirkliston - whilst Linlithgow was a scheduled stop, it could be very congested being in the town centre so we would just plough on.

 

At this point Mark came off his bike for the third time, fear not, the average speed at the time was 0 mph. The motto of this was, maybe try out the pedal clips before you enter a 50 mile road trip.  Nothing apparently damaged other than a few scrapes to leg and a large dent in his dignity!

 

It got a little scary heading into Winchburgh as the winds really picked up, the lighter riders on road bikes really getting buffeted around the road with some fierce gusts of sidewinds, the only saving grace was the we were on the “right” side of the road, so didn’t have to worry about being blown into oncoming traffic!

 

As the winds picked up even more, we all arrived safely in Kirkliston to the luxury of indoor toilets (manna from heaven) at the Leisure Centre and the free food and drink provided by the local Cooperative, which made the second main stop a lot more welcome from the weather.

 

We set off soon after to face the final 10 miles into Edinburgh and headed down the sectioned off roads toward Cramond before hitting the cycle route at Silverknowes, which offered some protection from the winds. We also had some local residents on the route and high fived a line of boys all arranged in a row who seemed to have set themselves the challenge of “high-fiving” all the cyclists, very friendly indeed.

 

We joined the road again at Roseburn before heading through the middle of Murrayfield Stadium for our moment of triumph and arriving at the finish post.  At this point We had completed 49.2 miles so Dawn and Suzanne cycled round and round the car park until they had officially clocked up the 50 miles. 

 

All in all it was another successful ride, with funds raised for the CF Trust, building up the mileage for Mark and Suzanne and saying “we did it”.  Some of the highlights were seeing all the kids who took park, the guy on the uni-cycle, the chap with the delivery bike with his daughter in the grocery basket and lots and lots of tandems. 

 

Thanks to all for their support, either in kind or by donation, it really does make a difference, here’s to 2012!

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It's that time of year again! Pedal for Scotland on 11th September 2011. Our chance to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust's Gene Therapy Appeal while participating in Scotland's largest cycling event. There are over 9,000 riders expected this year and we're hoping that the weather will be kinder to us than it has been during our training sessions this summer.

We've got some extra participants this year, Mark Lawson, Suzanne Brown and Stephen Young are taking part for the first time.

Some of you may remember that Suzanne was planning to take part in 2009 but had to withdraw at the last minute due to a serious back injury. Well, thankfully after many months of immobility, an operation and recuperation she's fit and well and all set to take part this year.

This will be the first time that Mark has taken part in a large cycling event so we'll be there supporting him through the miles and making sure that he's front of the queue at the feed stops. Let’s just hope that his bike is up to the challenge!

Having undertaken the extremely soggy Callader to Killin ride in May, Stephen wasn't put off by the torrential rain and is willing to risk another 50 mile ride for this amazing charity. We are really hoping for a good day weather-wise.

Thank you for visiting our Cystic Fibrosis fundraising page and please do "Like" this page on Facebook so we can reach as many people as possible.

The Gene Therapy Appeal needs all the help, support and publicity it can get to reach its £6 million pound target:

“Following 10 years of development and successful tests on safety and toxicity over the last two years, a multi-dose clinical trial for CF gene therapy is planned to start in Spring 2012.

This is a crucial stage in the research but will cost a further £6m. This appeal has been launched to ensure that the multi-dose trial goes ahead. This is a lot of money and, of course, there are no guarantees of outcomes in this work. But the chance of securing a multi-dose trial is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which we cannot miss. Without proceeding with this trial we would not know whether effective gene therapy for CF could become a reality. So, we will be making every effort to raise the money required and looking for the support of all in the CF community and beyond.

This is the first such gene therapy trial in the world and has the potential to benefit the estimated 100,000 people with CF across the globe.”

To date the appeal has reached £31,351.60 so there’s a long way to go.

Over the past 3 years we have raised over £1,700 through cycling events and coffee mornings. We would love to be able to double this figure by the end of this year and with your support that might just be possible.

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Thought you might like an update on how we got on. Having been keeping an eye on the weather all week it wasn’t looking good. However, when we set off on Saturday morning the sky was blue and there wasn’t much wind so we were lulled into a false sense of security! Luckily we’d packed for every eventuality, which was just as well.

Mark and the children decided they were going to do the shorter Callander to Strathyre route, 15 miles of easy cycling we were told. Onya has raised over £100 of sponsorship on her own which was brilliant. It was a truly family effort.

Stephen and I set off at about 10am along with the others doing the 50 mile ride (after fixing puncture number 1). I’m a road bike girl but had taken my hybrid as we’d been warned the route wasn’t suitable for the road bikes. They weren’t kidding! For the first time ever I wished for a mountain bike. Off road, with some tarmac and a lot of gravel, the winding and up and down route gave me a few hairy moments – not to mention Stephen who I just about wiped out on more than a couple of descents!

Cycling along the side of Loch Lubnaid the first stop was 9 miles in at Strathyre. With lots of home baking on offer we had difficulty moving on from here and could quite happily have stayed and eaten all day. Just as we were leaving it started to drizzle but wasn’t too bad and we got a text from Mark to say that they were only a mile off reaching Strathyre.

Stephen and I headed off to the next designated stop at Balquidder. Through some amazing scenery, sitting quite high up on the old railway line and looking down on the cars travelling along the A84. A long, slow climb up a switchback path (thankfully tarmacked) gave us some amazing views down onto Balquidder and Loch Voil.

Through Balquidder we headed straight out towards Killin. Again it was cycle track through the trees with some hairy descents (but I am a wimp going downhill). Across the A85 and we went truly off road. Down to Killin via a farm track before getting back on to the old railway line. The mountain bike riders were in there element, laughing at us “roadies”.

On reaching Killin we stopped to get some photos of the amazing swollen river crashing over the rocks and under the bridge we were standing on. At this point the rain really started to come down so the waterproofs came out. This was also the point that Stephen realised he might have a slow puncture on his front wheel. We decided to inflate it again and see how we got on.

We started to head back, with me dreading the field section of the climb out of Killin. However, it proved easier to climb up than it had coming down. Half way up, with the rain getting heavier, we decided that Stephen’s tyre needed replaced and he set about sorting his second puncture of the day. Luckily we had taken a good supply of inner tubes so weren’t fiddling about with puncture repair kits! Mountain bikers went whizzing past us again, getting muddier and happier by the second.

By the time we got back to crossing the A85 we were getting pretty wet and were glad to get back under the shelter of the trees towards Balquidder. Half way back Stephen had puncture number 3! This time on his back tyre. We got lots of offers of help but he managed to get it fixed and we were ready to start again in no time at all.

At this point we received a text from Mark to say that they had finished and were back at the car. The kids had cycled an amazing 19.26 miles! They were soaking wet, and heading back to Edinburgh. Luckily they’d packed a change of clothes so were able to get dry and warmed up quite quickly. Adam told me he’d got changed first because he was “the wettest, the muddiest and the moaniest” of the 3! I think he was perfectly justified. Especially as he reckoned he had mud in his pants!

By this time Stephen and I were wet through. For the first time ever my waterproof jacket was saturated. Feet were squelching, as were the gloves. It was heads down and back to Callander as fast as we could. We didn’t even make a return stop to Strathyre for more cake, that’s how bad it was!

But we did it! 50 miles in 5 hours cycling time (not the best time but blaming that on the conditions!) I even managed to conquer my fear of cycling over cattle grids – although there was a fair amount of screaming (and swearing) as I went over each one.

Someone told us at the end that this was the worst weather they had ever had and that the last three years had been scorchers.

Certainly would want to do it again (but I’ll be hiring a mountain bike next time). Anything to support such an amazing charity that gives us so much help and support, not to mention the research they do to make sure Eden stays fit and healthy.

Thank you so much for sponsoring us. We’ve raised an amazing £250 (plus Gift Aid) through Just Giving.

There’s some photos of our adventures on Flicker:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30023192@N07/with/5745654897/

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We're at it again! This time we've signed up to cycle the CF Trust's Balquidder to Killin ride on Saturday 21 May. Please sponsor us to raise money for this amazing charity that provides us with so much help and support. The research they undertake ensures that Eden stays well and healthy.

She's had a difficult couple of months. Having been on a 3 month course of antibiotics for pseudomonasm the CF clinic at the Sick Kids in Edinburgh decided she needed to be treated with IV antibiotics. Her stay in hospital didn't go well but was thankfully short. Once they put the line in she was allowed home and Lee and Stephen were allowed to give her the antibiotics at home. This is no easy task and is quite time consuming, three times a day. It takes around 45 minutes each dose and Eden sat every time to receive the treatment without any complaint. Added to this is her daily physio routine, additional medication, both inhailed through gas and in capsual form. It's a lot for a little girl to cope with and she does it brilliantly.

Unfortunately her stay in hospital exposed her to chickenpox and the day her IV line came out was the day she exploded in spots! However, it didn't stop her and she was even kind enough to share them with her little brother!

Shes' determined, resourceful, beautiful and funny, all the attributes needed to deal with this head on.
Thank you for your support.

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Thought you might like to hear how it went yesterday. Sadly my friend and cycling partner, Suzanne, had to pull out at the last minute after her back went on Friday. We were both gutted that she wouldn't be able to take part but she made the right decision and I hope she makes a quick and full recovery.

So with very mixed emotions I set off at 5.45am on Sunday morning. I arrived at Victoria Park and was on the third bus to leave for Glasgow Green. We arrived just after 8am and I retrieved my bike from the lorry and set off for the start line. Having joined the queue of people waiting to leave it was only 10 minutes or so before I was pedalling underneath the starting banner.

It was a lovely morning with blue sky and the promise of some sun. We cycled through the streets of Glasgow and headed out towards Drumpellier Country Park, our first rest stop, 12 miles away. I arrived at around 9.45am and had a quick bite before heading straight out for the next part of the journey. This was the longest stretch, 17 miles to Avonbridge.

As I cycled down the hill into the village I spotted Mark, Kit, Adam, Onya and Bo (the dog) standing at the side of the road cheering me on, with a "Go Mummy" banner! That made it all worthwhile and we stopped and enjoyed the home baking that the local church members had put on for all the participants.

I was now over half way there and keen to keep moving so I set off for Linlithgow which was only 7 miles further down the road. I realised that the reason for the big feed in Avonbridge was the BIG hill out of Avonbridge and thankfully the refuelling did it's job and I made it up the hill without having to resort to pushing the bike!

I was amazed at all the people taking part, 7,000 expected, and the number of young children who went pedalling past me. The kids were phenomenal and have spurred ours on to say "can we do it next year".

Linlithgow was very busy with the majority of the cyclists stopping here to meet with family and friends. There was also soup and sandwiches available but the queue was taking an hour to get to the food so I had a quick sandwich that I had packed myself and moved off. Managed to catch up with Mark and the kids who were having a picnic in the park that we went past to get back on to the route.

Again, another big hill out of Linlithgow and on into Kirkliston. Made the most of the Leisure Centre toilets - don't want to see another portaloo - and an energy bar for the last 15 miles. Once out of Kirkliston we joined the cycle path into Edinburgh at Cramond Brig. There were lots of people lining the route and it was great to get a cheer as you went past. It made it a tricky cycle in as the route was so narrow and there were members of the public out for a stroll and loose dogs but I made it in one piece!

The last two miles seemed the longest and we could here the noise from Victoria Park quite a bit before we cycled round the corner and up the hill to the finish line. The best bit was seeing Suzanne standing at the top of the hill cheering me on at the end. After all the months of training and spurring each other on to have to do it on my own was sad but brilliant she was there for me coming in just after 3pm.

Picked up my medal and went through to meet everyone at the other side. The stats are 53.5 miles in 5hrs 10mins cycling time - averaging around 10.33 miles per hour!

Everyone has been so supportive and to be able to raise nearly £1,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust has far surpassed our expectations.

If you haven't donated yet but would still like to then click the button below to go to Just Giving to make your donation.

Here are some photos from the event - me not looking my best it has to be said but I'll hope you'll look past that! Hoping to get some photos from the event itself and will post these to Facebook when I can.

As I said to Mark this achievement is up there with childbirth and jumping out of airplanes!
Dawn
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144251&id=569819327&l=441fd8eced

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After months of cycling for fun and fitness we’ve decided to put all our efforts to good use and have signed up for Pedal for Scotland, Glasgow to Edinburgh, on 13th September. We also decided this would be a great opportunity to raise lots of money for a very deserving charity. We have chosen the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as Dawn’s niece, Eden (2 1/2), has CF.

Dawn: "My sister, Lee, received a phone call from her GP a couple of weeks after Eden was born to say that Eden had tested positive for CF as part of her heel prick test. We were devastated with this news and didn’t really understand the long-term implications. A lot of the information we knew about CF was very out of date and very scary.
The CF clinic at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh provided Lee and Stephen with lots of good, up to date information and the outlook didn’t look as bleak as we first feared. We are incredibly lucky that so far Eden has kept very well, and this is in no small part due to the preventative treatment and medication she has received since birth. Eden can't absorb fat due to the sticky mucus in her pancreas. She takes enzymes every time she eats something with fat in it to ensure that the fat is broken down and absorbed so she can put on weight and stay healthy. At the moment she takes 13 enzyme capsuals a day, and that rises as she gets bigger and eats more. Everytime she gets a cold or cough she has to take a three week course of antibiotics to ensure that no bacteria grows in the mucus in her lungs, which would cause serious, irreparable damage to her lungs. The advances in treating CF sufferers over the past 15 years have been immense and the private donations the CF Trust receive go a long way to continuing the research into enabling children and adults with CF to live a long and healthy life.”

What is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease.

Cystic Fibrosis affects over 8,000 people in the UK.

Over two million people in the UK carry the faulty gene that causes Cystic Fibrosis - around 1 in 25 of the population. If two carriers have a child, the baby has a 1 in 4 chance of having Cystic Fibrosis.

Cystic Fibrosis affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with thick sticky mucus. This makes it hard to breathe and digest food.

Each week, five babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis.

Each week, three young lives are lost to Cystic Fibrosis.

Around half of the CF population can expect to live over 35 years, although improvements in treatments mean a baby born today could expect to live even longer.

Is there a cure for Cystic Fibrosis?

There is currently no cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust funds research to find an effective treatment for CF through gene therapy and they believe that this is going to be the nearest thing to a cure in the forseeable future.

Other research is aimed at a pharmacalogical (or drug based) approach to treating Cystic Fibrosis and they invest in projects aimed at alleviating the symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis.

Through research, better understanding and treatment of Cystic Fibrosis, life expectancy is increasing. When the CF Trust was founded in 1964, a child was lucky to live over five years. Around half of those with CF today can expect to live over 35 years - not good enough, but getting better.

For more information please click on this link http://www.cftrust.org.uk

We are sure you will agree that this is a very worthwhile cause and we hope that you will spur us on by donating something towards our target goal. It will certainly ensure that we are on that cycle path as early as possible on 13th September, whatever the weather!

We’re going to log details of our training progress and thought you might like to see some photos of Eden too. If you see us whizzing about the hills of Midlothian be sure to give us a rousing cry of support!