I think we can finally call this our total amount raised, I'm so grateful to everyone for the support and money given to bring us to this amazing amount of money raised for Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Thank you all so much.


£3,963.00 wow

Wow!! Just found out the total raised from the London to Paris cycle ride completed with Shaun Nicholas, Now his company Archant have matched his contribution we have a grand total of £3813 

Thank you all sooooo much for your help in getting us to this amazing amount.

Paris

It been over a year since we started planning Ride4Ruby, we have now completed the 330 miles from Trafalgar square to the Eiffel tower.
Our last day Cycling into Paris was difficult the milage was only 35 we just never got going with traffic lights on red, traffic generaly and road closures for le tour de France I think by the time we got to the Eiffel tower it was nearly as long as our previous days cycling. On arrival at the Eiffel tower we got the photos to prove our trip, then headed off to watch the end of the tour.
With the tour fininshed we headed off to find our hotel to get freshened up then off out for food and a few drinks.

Abbeville to Villier St Paul

With 80 miles Ahead of us the 5 am storm did not bode too well for us today. After a bit of supply shopping we left Abbeville heading south for Villier St Paul, after my slight altercation with a bus we began to make good progress in reasonable weather.
The weather soon turned sour, giving us a good soaking for our efforts! Pete seems to have perfected hill climbing leaving me for dead on most of the steep gradients, something us Norfolk boys are not used to. We have passed through some fantastic scenery and ridden on the best roads ever, it's a pity it has to end soon.
Riding together we have both had our 'darker' moments, when being on a bike, lost, in the middle of France in the rain is the last thing you want to do. But having a great mate with you to spur you on is a real tonic. Chapeau Pete.
We have decided to sack our 'guide dog' Jack, he has been of no use at all, he never seems to be able to send us in the right direction at all!
Having just returned to our room after our meal and a couple of pints of 'painkiller' thoughts once again return to friends and family, we are missing you all immensely and cannot wait to be home. Today's highlight must be reading our sponsorship total at over £1800 !!!
It makes everything so worth while. Thank you all so much xxxx Ride safe guys Shaun x


Ps

Abbeville

Calais to abbeville looked like it was going to be wet and windy, it soon changed becoming sunny and quite warm the windy was strong but in our favour most of the time.
The journey consisted of 40 miles of some quite long up hill rides then flatting out for awhile with the last stretch giving quite rewarding down hill sections.
On arriving at our cubical the long awaited hot soak was not possible with no room for us and the bikes.
A vast quantity of food was consumed to replenish what had been zapped from us on the route.

Laying here in bed I hear thunder and rain so not really looking forward to cycling today as the terrain holds some long climbs for us Norfolk boys.

Calais

After leaving London we cycled in to the Kent rolling countryside well it felt more like the alps in places. We stopped for a pasta lunch in Maidstone which went to a very good home, only stopping for about 1/2 hour taking on more fluids for the rest of the trip down to Dover.

The weather has been very kind to us so far with only light rain as we cycled from London into Kent.

On the ferry we had been chatting to a coupled who were driving down to see the tour, while waiting to exit the ferry the woman came over and handed us £20 asking us to donate this to ride4ruby, how very generous we don't even know there names.

With a well deserved pain killing beer last night we checked our route down to Abbivile then off to bed.

And in my bag I packed...........

Pete and I have been trying to 'organize' ourselves for the trip. We are both taking rucksacks, problem is what do we take with us? I have been packing and unpacking my bag with various bits and pieces, the usual toothpaste and deodorant comination will of course prevail, but as far as clothing goes I cannot get my luggage down to a reasonable size.!
I will be making another trip to Cycles UK later this week and the more I think about things the bigger the list is getting, the list of 'spares' seems to increase the closer the departure date gets!! Maybe just one more spare tube, or another pack of gels? I haven't even considered how much underwear to take (maybe I can get away with turning certain items inside out?)
All in all I am sure Pete and I are going to have a great experience along the way, we have been avidly watching the Tour De France. It's strange to think in a few days time we will be in France watching the great race ourselves, hopefully we will have managed to do some laundry along the way !!

Ride safe,
Shaun.

100 not out!

We had a great ride out on Sunday, completing the Norwich 100 mile ride in 5 hours and 37 minutes.
As you can see the ride wasn't without it's moments of hilarity, as Pete gets some 'advice' on how to repair a puncture from the locals in Cromer! It has been a number of years since I have ridden amongst so many groups of riders, it really is an excellent feeling being towed along by bikes in the group. The warning shouts of cars and trees (yep, I very nearly came to grief with a fallen tree in the middle of the road!) helped immensely, as well as the very courteous car and motorcycle road users!

The route took us out from the Norwich Cathedral at 7am and towards Reepham, Binham, Hindolveston. The  North Easterly wind was firmly in our faces all the way up to this point, then as we hit the coast the wind did give us a very welcomed assist. First time this year I have seen the sea crashing against the sea wall at Walcott, giving everyone a cool shower along the way. The coast road from Sheringham along to Sea Palling is one of my favourite stretches of coastline in Norfolk and cruising amongst a group of fellow cyclists made it even more special. Thanks must go to Velo Norwich rider Chris Preston for showing us how to hit the climbs (and showing us a clean pair of heels!).

It was a perfect day and a perfect ride in readiness for London to Paris, well organised and a great route.
Ride safe,

Shaun.

Getting closer to the Paris ride now!

Its may the 22nd already this means it's only 2 weeks to the Norwich 100, which we have been looking forward to but it's also a test to see how well we can cycle the next day.

This week we have finally booked the trains to and from London, the ferry has been booked and the extra night in France due to the cost of returning on the sunday via TGV.

Ruby has demanded that Jack (the dog) comes with us also she is now saying she will cycle with us as she has ran 100meters before so a 100 miles should be easy.

Training has been going well for both of us while we have not trained together much I feel we are both up to the task.

Och Aye Laddie!!

Well, we did have a good look, but despite all our hard work we did not find Nessie in Scotland! I have just returned after a weeks break in the Highlands and all I can say is 'why the heck didn't I take my bike!'. The weather was fantastic, and the scenery stunning. We did manage to hire mountain bikes for a couple of days which helped to keep the legs feeling good; Norfolk really does not have any hills!

As Pete has already said the guys at Cycles UK Norwich have come up trumps and donated a couple of great jerseys for us to use on our trip. We will be having photos taken this weekend to post on here and on the JustGiving site. The training has been going well and we are both looking forward to doing the Norwich 100 on the 5th of June and hopefully we will be riding directly after on the 6th to see what it is like riding straight after a long day in the saddle!!

Just managed to catch a bit of the Liege-Baston-Liege today and Philippe Gilbert is on top form at the moment, 3 spring classic wins to his name, very , very impressive! Will be interesting to see how well he does in the Giro D'Italia .

Ride safe,

Shaun.

New Jersey

We now have 2 cycle Jerseys a big thanks to Rob & Bill at Cycles UK for the donation. 
























With all the summer sun both Shaun and myself have started to get the miles in, leading up to the Norwich 100 which  is adding to our training. 
More issues with my bike means I now have 2 complete new wheels. 
Ruby is starting to understand the size of the task we have set ourselves, she has still not offered to take my place but I'm working on that one.

Whats it all about.

Below is why we a trying to raise as much money as possible.

Statement from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Over the last decade, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and our supporters have made a considerable investment in world leading research to determine whether gene therapy to the lungs is a possible treatment for people with Cystic Fibrosis.

In 2008, for the first time ever, a potential gene therapy for Cystic Fibrosis entered preliminary clinical trials and thirty people with Cystic Fibrosis have received a single dose of the treatment to test for safety.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust has provided more than thirty million pounds to the Gene Therapy Consortium over the last nine years, reflecting considerable tenacity from donors, researchers and clinicians, as well as carers and patients living with Cystic Fibrosis. The potential clinical benefit of gene therapy is yet however still to be proven and there is a long way to go.

Since 2008 the Cystic Fibrosis Trust has, like many other charities, experienced a significant drop in income and the fundraising environment and resources available to the Trust remain extremely tight.

Getting both the science and the funding of this research programme right is not easy and in the current economic climate the Trust has had to reassess both its own costs and its commitments. To make this reassessment and to ensure the available resources are being used as effectively and efficiently as possible, we have asked the UK CF Gene Therapy Consortium to fully review where the research programme has got to so far.

In a more constrained funding environment the Trust’s aim is to realise benefits from the investments to date in the shortest possible time frame. The research focus is now to demonstrate specific outcomes, such as testing efficacy in the lung, and preparing the gene therapy programme to be managed by a pharmaceutical partner.

We can all be proud of our work to seek a gene therapy treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. Since the 1990s the Trust has funded much work into a possible gene therapy approach to tackle the basic cause of Cystic Fibrosis in the lungs. We can reassure supporters that we are very keen to support the work of the UK CF Gene Therapy Consortium as best we can in its attempt to conclude whether gene therapy to the lungs of people with Cystic Fibrosis has got useful clinical and therapeutic benefits.

This programme of work has been an enormous commitment for many people, not least people living with Cystic Fibrosis who have been directly involved in the trials to date. We all hope that the investment and effort to date will yield some clear indicators as to whether gene therapy can become a significant component in the future treatment of Cystic Fibrosis.

We are therefore now working with the Consortium on a revised programme and we will put this on our website as soon as it is available. Whatever the outcome ofthe reassessment and the revised programme, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust expects the UK Gene Therapy Consortium to remain its single largest research project.

At the same time as reassessing the programme, we are actively looking at how we can continue to fund the future commitments to the Consortium and we will be seeking support from other organisations, including the Government, medical research bodies and others, to enable the work of the UK CF Gene Therapy Consortium to continue to maximise its chances of success.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust continues to support other research as part of the international fight against Cystic Fibrosis, works to improve standards of clinical care in the UK, and provides direct support to people living with Cystic Fibrosis and their families.

To enable the further investment to happen in the gene therapy research the Trust would of course be delighted to hear of potential new sources of funding for this work. If you feel you can help then please contact Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Thank you.

Sore feet!

Sunday 13th March 2011 was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. A few years ago (I will not say how many!) my Dad would take my brother and I for a Sunday drive to one of his favourite watering holes. Marlingford Bell was a typical country pub, chickens in the garden and a good acre or so to explore and exert our excess energies. I was hoping that excess energy would be abundant on Sunday as I passed the pub,because a couple of thousand runners and I would be passing the Bell for this years City of Norwich Half Marathon. 
To make it even more special on my second passing of the pub I spotted Pete with his lovely girls Katie, Phoebe and of course Ruby (Fred) sat at the side of the road, signs held aloft encouraging me to Go Go Go! Ruby gave me the biggest hug, I will never forget it!  It made the last couple of miles a whole lot easier to run, with a grin on my face from ear to ear!
The weather seems to have improved a bit, I rode to work today without the need of my jacket, (Pete knows I hate riding in that damn thing!!!), looking forward now to sunny days and long rides together. The present Mrs.Nicholas picked up her new steed today, a Marin Larkspur, apparently the colour was 'nice'! Hopefully it will serve her well in June when she rides from London to Brighton!

Ride safe,

Shaun.

Saturday 5th March

Pete and I set out for a ride of approximately 40 miles on Saturday afternoon. Having only just risen from my slumber, (night shifts!), I had a quick coffee and we set off . It was soon evident that the lack of food taken before the ride was hindering my performance, to be honest I felt damn awful. Stalham high street provided us with the necessary bag of Jelly Babies that soon had me feeling better ( this was after Pete had managed to destroy the shopkeepers wonderful display on the serving counter!!). We set off again, and the hunger 'bonk' I suffered subsided and we managed to maintian a very respectable pace. By the time we returned home I felt a whole lot better for the outing, just proves that you cannot ride with no food on board!!!

Ride safe,
Shaun.

Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis causes the body to produce thick secretions that particularly affect the lungs and digestive tract.

Symptoms of CF can include a troublesome cough, repeated chest infections, prolonged diarrhoea and poor weight gain. These symptoms are not unique to Cystic Fibrosis.

Cystic Fibrosis affects a number of organs.

Lungs

It is common for people with CF to encounter some difficulties with their lungs. A combination of physiotherapy and medication can help control lung infections and prevent lung damage. To avoid the risk of cross-infection, it is recommended that people with CF do not come into close contact with others with Cystic Fibrosis.

Digestive system

Cystic Fibrosis affects the pancreas, which makes it difficult for people with CF to digest food. This can cause malnutrition, which can lead to poor growth, physical weakness and delayed puberty. There is medication that can compensate for the failure of the pancreas.

In older patients, insulin production can become deficient due to increasing pancreatic disease. Some develop CF related diabetes mellitus and their blood sugar levels are no longer controlled. This rarely happens to children with Cystic Fibrosis.

Common symptoms of diabetes include thirst, hunger, weight loss and excessive need to urinate, but some people do not show obvious symptoms of diabetes.

Other Affected Organs

In every ten babies born with CF, one is ill in the first few days of life with a bowel obstruction called meconium ileus. In these cases, the meconium (a thick black material present in the bowels of all newborn babies) is so thick that it blocks the bowel instead of passing through. Babies with meconium ileus often need an urgent operation to relieve and bypass the blockage.

People with CF are prone to developing bone disease (thin, brittle bones) due to the nutritional and other problems involved with the disease. Adults with CF are at an increased risk of bone disease because of the adverse effects of steroids taken to control lung disease.

Although Cystic Fibrosis does not cause sexual impotency, it can lead to fertility problems. In most men with CF, the tubes that carry sperm are blocked, which causes infertility. Because underweight women are more likely to have irregular menstrual cycles, the nutritional problems associated with CF may affect fertility. Women with CF do produce healthy, fertile eggs so effective contraception is necessary.

Cystic Fibrosis can cause the blockage of small ducts in the liver. This only happens to approximately 8% of people who have CF, but it is a serious health risk and may necessitate a liver transplant

He's bloomin mad I tell you!

The outside temperature was just about zero degrees last night, whilst I was in my garage I heard the sound of a cycle being pushed in the driveway next door. I thought 'surely not, not tonight', but Pete was readying himself for a 30 mile icy blast. As much as I love cycling, and I have been out in all weathers this winter, the lure of a warm sofa and a nice cuppa was too much for me! All I can say is Chapeau mate, total dedication!

The donations have been going so well that we have raised the original target from £1000 to £2000 now. Everyone has been so generous and kind. THANK YOU ALL!!

On Saturday Pete and I went into Cycles UK in Norwich on 'the scrounge' for a bit of sponsorship. Rob came up trumps with the promise of some team jerseys, free chain lube and some sound advice for the journey. I have been using the shop for 3 years or so now and the guys in the shop are always very helpful and very enthusiastic about cycling, whether you are buying a new bike or just popping in for a chat, I can personally recommend them.

Ruby and Phoebe have both been poorly with chicken pox over the last week or so, something I can recall from my 2 lads days as youngsters, but by all accounts the girls are on the mend and are getting back to their cheeky selves again!
The mercury is supposed to be rising towards the end of the week, thank god, hopefully within my few days off work I am going to get a few miles in on the bike. Lets hope we can all get out and about and enjoy the rest of half term!

Shaun .

On the open road at last!

Ok so for nearly 2 weeks I've intended to get out on the bike and all my plans have been stopped for one reason or another.  Sunday looked like the day to get out at last. Sunday came and Ruby started running a temperature so Laura and Ruby spent most of Sunday at the hospital to which they confirmed the spots are chicken pox thus the high temperature and her not feeling to well.

On Tuesday the CF trust posted a link on Facebook to An article in the Guardian about a guy called Tim Wooton with CF, take a little time out to read the link he is an inspiration to us all.
http://m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/15/how-have-i-cheated-death-cystic-fibrosis?cat=lifeandstyle&type=article

It's now Wednesday and Phoebe has now got a few spots GREAT! But I still ventured out on the bike with a 2 hour window between getting back from work and tea at 9:00, how good was that 28miles @ 16.5 mph. It felt like i could have just kept on going (forest)

At the weekend Shaun and I should be able to get a few photos at last, also we are going to a local cycle store to try our luck at 2 free or greatly reduced cycle jersey's of which we will be able to get printed up for the ride.

Wow £864.57 on Justgiving, Thank you everyone.

Pete.

Spring?

I recieved a phone call from Pete whilst I was at work last night, "I'll meet you outside when you leave off at 10pm". Sure enough he was there, having already done a quick zip around Norwich City centre, he then escorted me on my way home!
Not wanting to be outdone, I managed to do a 35mile trip around today, on my day off, and the weather was beautiful. Snowdrops and crocus flowers decorating the hedgeside and the sun beaming down, the day had a real feeling of spring about it.We are really fortunate where we live, the area is stunning and I would not want to live any where else in the country (we could do with some proper hills though).
A stark contrast to the scenery that the peloton are blasting through in the tour of Qatar at the moment! The riders are obviously 'testing' themselves in readiness for the spring classics, with breakaways within the first 5km of the race. It's hard to judge the speed they are riding as there are few points of reference along the way, just pure desert, but the peloton was travelling at 43mph for a good period of the race!
Here's hoping that we enjoy a few more days like today, the sun on my back and clean, dry roads. LOVE IT!!!
Shaun.

Blowing the cobwebs out

Well not such an early start today! after a lovely evening out with friends and cooking the girls the obligatory bacon and eggs i didn't get out the door until 11.
This gave me an hour of cycling which i think was enough in the wind sporting a mild hangover i only covered about 16 to 17 miles, This however was the day to get my highest speed on the flat I topped out at 31.6mph, (tail wind)

Ruby is now asking when i will finnish my book on her!! she still doesn't understand what the blog is, Bless.

Pete

Who Said Norfolk is FLAT

Out on my efforts session last night started down then up Mousehold then down & up Ketts hill, but for the third time in a row that i've tried to climb gas hill I failed! I just don't seem to have the energy after a day of work. Good effort by Chris ( training for Lands End to Jon O'Groats ) he completed Gas hill twice.
For anyone who saw three blokes getting out of my work van togged up in cycling gear, we know it looks wrong! but funny!!

Pete.