You've found Paula's Fund Raising Page - Please read about my adventures below.

 

WE DID IT - 196 gruelling miles - up more hills than I have ever seen, through absolutely beautiful countyside and then finally we arrived at the Eiffel Tower after 3 1/2 days singing the welsh national anthem and sporting the welsh flag as we rode under the tower, it was amazing, the most humbling, exhilarating experience I have ever had.  All the training and mishaps were most definately worth it.  I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their support, words of encouragement and sponsorship, you are all truly wonderful.  We had a great time doing the ride, although I will admit that if we had have a swear box not only would it be full, it would be overflowing - the air was blue! 

3 weeks to go - Soaked!! to the skin, Merthyr to Cardiff, the weather was diabolical, the rain came down in sheets, I started asking myself, why am I cycling down to Cardiff on a friday evening, when most normal people are getting ready to go out!.  We had the funniest ride ever, i'm thinking laugh or i'll cry, I had mud from my trainers to the bottom of my cycling shorts, my feet went into a puddle, soaked, the rain was dripping off my nose, I had stingy nettle stings all up my legs, which were bright red from the rain and then the wind hitting them.  But saying all that Jacqui and I did it in record time! well for us anyway, we even stopped for a while as jacqui fell very awkwardly off her bike, hurting her wrist.  This was the first cycle in my 40's as I had come of age the day before.  What a looney, you'd think I'd know better.  As you can gather still really enjoying it, Paris getting a bit close now, the nerves are starting to kick in.  If i'm not ready now I never will be.  watch this space!!

Week ?? - Not sure what week I'm on now, but know I've only got 4 to go, I have been everywhere cycling recently, Jacqui and I went around Tredegar Park and ended up on a mud trail, not good.  But I'm getting better, I've now learn't how to not get flies in your eyes (wear glasses) not eat flies (don't speak) but I had them up my nose this week so I guess I'll have to stop breathing!!!.  Last week we did Hay on Wye to Chepstow, OMG, Vanessa said she's meet us in Abergavenny, I didn't think to question why then I found out, Hay on Wye is a lovely little village but I only cycled through for about 100 yards, then we hit a hill, well not a hill actually, 8 miles of uphill mountain. As you know from my earlier blog I'm not that good at hills so mountains are a definate no no, it took Jacqui and I well over an hour and half to get up it, and we pushed the bikes for most of the way, infact at one point we were so exasperated we had a little photo shoot taking photos of each other and the bikes.  As we were going up I was looking at this other mountain (called Sugar Loaf) thinking, my god thats high we won't be going up that high, how wrong was I, its so high we should have carried oxygen and then you have all the people in cars passing just smiling at you and giving you that knowing look.  Once you get to the top there are sheep everywhere, so now to add to my list of animals/insects I've got sheep poop which was over my trainers!!!.  Anyway you get to the top and think yes, its all down hill now and it was for a short while and then we hit another hill, no I'll call it a mountain because it was massive.  By the time we got to Abergavenny the boys who were cycling with us had had over an hours rest and were ready to move on.  We let them go ahead.  So off go Vanessa, Jacqui and I through the mountainous area of Abergavenny and surrounding villages, I can honestly say there was no better feeling than going down hill, it was just for every down there was an up and the up's seems much bigger than the downs.  Just when my morale is at an all time low and I really want to give up I get a puncture, I was chuffed to bits, I though I'll just ring my husband as I had no puncture kit (not good really) and he'll pick me up.  I was smiling from ear to ear, then out of nowhere comes two girls on a tandem, they were like girls scouts they had my wheel off and puncture fixed in minutes, oh how pleased I was - not.  Anyway we finally make it to Llantrissent, and David, who was with the boys had very kindly waited for us, so long he'd had 4 pints.  We finally arrived in Chepstow, after getting lost with which entailed another massive hill, 9 hours after leaving Hay on Wye.  I'm laughing now, but it took me a week to get back on my bike.  So of the 55 miles we cycled that day, I probably walked 12! Here goes to next week.  One thing I don't understand is that on the map it always looks flat, I think they need to introduce 3d maps for the likes of me, but there again I'm probably best not knowing.

Week 9 - Out twice this week a little 6 miler on my own around Llanishen and a 20 miler with Jacqui from Marshfield to the Maenllwyd and back.  Now, call me dumb but Jacqui and I decided to do the run to the Maenllwyd early on saturday morning, it didn't help that we were both still hungover from the Thurday night, yes Thursday, I think its an age thing I now have 2 day hangovers, or it could just be that I now drink copious amounts of alcohol or I like to think I'm becoming such an athelete that the alcohol affects me more, anyway, off we set not even contemplating what was infront of us - hills - loads of them and steep ones too.  I now know why the Maenllwyd is at the top of a mountain, because by the time you get up there you deserve a big drink, but I just had water.  I couldn't understand it, I looked at the map and it looked flat but my god it wasn't, I was absolutely exhausted and then on the way back, where its mostly down hill, we get stuck behind a tractor cutting the hedge so we couldn't free ride. Then Jacqui and I are then happily going down the A48 towards Newport and the traffic is whizzing by, I'm grabbing the handlebars of my bike for dear life and feel like I'm beating the land speed record I'm peddling so fast and then a little voice appears beside me - "have you seen a bunch of lads cycling love?" - there's a bloke on a bike doing double my speed, I can't even answer as I might loose my concentration, and he's looking at me, peddling twice as fast and taking a drink - how?  and as for seeing other cyclist, you'll be lucky I have enough problems looking at the road leave alone anything else.  And after all this I'm contemplating doing 40 miles next weekend - Cardiff to Pyle - must be nuts.

Weeks 7 & 8 - useless firstly I was ill, bad chest, and then had to spend most of the time sorting out my daughter for her prom, mind you all the running around I did for that I probably burnt more calories than a 20 mile bike ride!! Then I had a wonderful 5 days in Ireland, 5 mums and their teenage daughter's.  Back home now, all sorted and back into training with gusto.  Wish me luck.

17th July 2009 - May I say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far, especially to all the people I hounded at the NSPCC/Cardiff City Stadium last night, I am truly very grateful for your generosity.  It is people like you who enable to NSPCC to help the children who need it most.

Week 6 - only one ride this week, but a big one, firstly I arrived a Therese house, by bike which is a huge improvement as I normally throw the bike in the back of the car and drive over! Then it was a train ride into Queen St and then up to Merthyr, now not being an expert on train journeys it was an eventful time.  Firstly try getting your bike on a train, over that gap between the train and the platform, once this was achieved it was trying to keep the bike to remain upright so that we could sit down.  Not easy. 

One thing I must mention is the ritual we seem to go through everytime we meet for a cycle, firstly its the "oh you look nice, where did you get that top from" then its "have you got your sunglasses?" but the new one this week is "did you bring a multi-tool" now I don't profess to know what to do with a multi tool unless its got tweezers and eyelash curlers on it but we're learning the lingo.  Anyway back to the bike ride, off we go meeting others at Merthyr and cycling down the Cardiff, its a real achievement and we didn't get lost once, as I forgot the aforementioned glasses I was picking insects out of my eyes for most of the journey, but I didn't eat any flies this time!.  Also Therese and I had been out the night before to a barn dance so hangovers were on the menu.  I must mention Jacqui, she is a beautiful person with a very important job, always looks the part and is a team player, however, she should be blonde, she has spent ages looking for the shoulder straps for her pannier bag and was just about to go to where she bought it from and give them what for, when I showed her the shoulder straps were attached to the bag all the time, just needed to move the velcro! also she was not happy with the handlebars on her bike and wanted them changed, until I showed her that they were infact moveable and just needed adjusting!  Jacqui what you lack in practical workings you more than make up for in your personality and we love you for it. We did 29.8 miles in total in about 3 1/2 hours, if you take out the times that we stopped for tea breaks and a bit of lunch in Whitchurch on the way home! Marshfield to Penarth next week and a 20 mile round trip Cardiff to somewhere in Caerphilly. Speak to you soon. xx

Forgot to mention last week a bumble bee flew in my helmet and I could hear it buzzing around, and a small bird flew into Vanessa's helmet and knocked itself out.  We may be helping the ozone layer by cycling but what we are doing to the wildlife is another story.

Week 5 - Llanfoist to Crickhowell (the obstacle course)- 9 of us went on this bike ride which was absolutely beautiful, the ride alongside the canal path is stunning.  To get on the canal path was where my problems started, firstly there's a hill to go up, not a slope like I've previously mentioned but a great big steep thing (think Caerphilly mountain), I managed to cycle a short way up but I'm not that fit yet to get to the top, once we got to the top we hit our second obstacle about 30 stone steps which you have to carry your bike up - Oh joy!.  Once we got to the top though the scenery was fab.  We then travelled along the tow path, trying to be clever and talking on the phone whilst cycling I dropped the phone and that almost ended up in the canal.  I felt like a comando cycling in rough terrain what with the gravel, muddy puddles and ducking under bridges. Therese, Janine and David took the wrong turning and ended up on the wrong side of the canal.  I can honestly say its a good job I've got a sense of humour!!

Week 5 - Marshfield to Dyffryn and back - well it didn't rain! tonight Cath, Jacqui and myself managed 11 miles in 55 minutes, which I thought was brill, until I realised that Roger Bannister did a mile in 4 minutes and he was running!!! But we're getting there.  I discovered tonight that sunglasses are not for the sun, they are to stop the little flies going in your eyes, I really appreciate how a windscreen on a motorway feels.  Now all I've got to do is find an invention to stop them flying in my mouth - I suppose if I stopped talking that would work.  Monmouth saturday - wish me luck!

Week 4 - Adventure 2 - well it didn't happen, it rained and rained and rained and then we had some more rain, if this weather carries on I'm thinking of attaching a surf board to my wheels and starting a new trend.  Two rides booked for week 5 come back and read all about them.

Week 4 - Adventure 1 Marshfield to Dyffryn, well the clouds were brimming with stormy weather but we weren't peturbed, off went, myself Jacqui and Janine, were getting better now, well kind of, we had a lovely ride through the coast road a couple of little hills to climb and all went smoothly.  We're trying to get to grips with the gears at the moment, I find it hard to believe that a little 2 wheeled vehicle has more gears than a car - how did that happen!.  Poor Janine, her little legs were going 10 to the dozen to get up the hills (slopes really but hills sound good) Doing 20 miles on Sunday with a hangover - wish me luck!!

Week 3  - I am on my way, I've got the gel pants (looks like a nappy) I've managed 15 miles in one sitting, ouch! This weeks cycling was eventful, not only did all four of us (Me, Jacqui, Janine and Therese) managed to get parking tickets I fell off my bike.  I have grazes on my knees I haven't had since I was 10. Too much talking not enough concentration, we had a burial for Jacqui's nail as it popped off, had  verbal abuse off some anti-cyclists people, but Therese put them straight, all in all I have to say the bike riding is brilliant, so as a reward we stopped at St. David's hotel for a well earned glass of champagne!!!! Since riding I have seen parts of Cardiff I didn't know even existed, I am meeting new people and getting fit.  But over and above this I'm doing it all for a good cause.  Please read about the cause below and place a donation.  This venture needs your help.  Doing 2 long bike rides next week - watch this space for news of my efforts.

Week 2 - My bottom is not my own, I didn't think that bike riding could cause so much pain.  Its a good job that I fully believe and endorse the charity that I am raising money for.

Myself and about 30 others are taking on the daunting challenge of cycling from London to Paris (180 miles).  I'm not fit, the last bike I had was a Raleigh Fourteen when I was about 10 and the thought of exercise fills me with dread, so why would I want to do this? People I have spoken to have said "you must be mad" and I have to say I was inclined to agree, but I'm sure when you read why I am doing this you will understand what my fund raising would do to help children in wales. 

Building Brighter Futures, with the NSPCC, are endeavouring to open a centre in Cardiff where abused children can come and speak to someone in a place where they can feel totally safe.  A kind of sanctuary for them. 

Currently there are over 2000 children in Wales on the child protection register and an even higher number of sex offenders registered.  At lease ONE CHILD A WEEK dies from cruelty. These figures are evidence of why we need to support the NSPCC in their vision for building this centre and this is why I believe so passionately about raising money and making people aware to help these children.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It's also the most efficient way to sponsor me: NSPCC gets your money faster and, if you're a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please, please sponsor me now and I would like to say thank you to you on behalf of the NSPCC for giving.