My support crew rocks

So as any pro cyclist will tell you a good support crew is a must, chris froome has the SKY team, I have Andy and my girls, plus an army of friends who are amazed that one of my whims actually bore fruit! I remember ringing my dad when I signed up for nightrider "dad I'm going to ride 100km around London" dads response "why would you do a daft thing like that?" I often have these whims, they don't last long.... My friends are important to me, I'm needy and I like it when people tell me well done! Joking apart my mates have been fab since I started this journey, supportive texts, Facebook messages and the "you were out at 6am cycling? You nutter" have all spurred me on. I wouldn't have been able to raise the money I have so far without friends and colleagues... £510 to dani for her Kenya trip, £175 raised for practical action, £600 raised split between my friends CRY campaign (will fill you in more about that another time) and my Stonehenge ride, all raised thanks to friends, people I work with and my family.

Then there are my girls, Jasmine who is 12 and Caitlin 8, plus lovely step daughter Abi who is also 8. They put up with bikes in the house, mum vanishing on rides, mum broken because she fell off again. When I rode night rider Jasmine actually posted on Facebook that she was proud of me! For a preteen to say that on a social network, is immense (well to me it is!)

 Facebook is fab, I use it to endlessly promote charity rides, events and generally bore the people who made the mistake of adding me with my cycling related posts. I must be driving people mad with it all. However when I was in London, preparing to ride around at night, in a city I don't know, the messages and comments spurred me on... I felt as if people were watching and willing me to finish.

The group I cycle with rock, we go out on a Sunday morning and ride for about 40 miles, it's fun, sociable and has helped me learn to ride properly. I yearn to ride with the "fast group" but fear my role is firmly at the back. But that's ok, this group don't judge, they ever leave anybody behind and it's made up of all shapes, sizes and personalities. Oh and it's bought me a new social life, before this lot welcomed us in to the fold I would never have dreamed I would be standing in a field, at 11pm drinking vodka warmed on a BBQ.....

You get the feel of them now?

 Finally there is Andy, my mechanic, tech geek, coach/slave master. He has encouraged me from day 1, he researches kit, talks on the forums, cleans my bike and generally keeps me focused. Without andy the trek would be dirty, scratched and nowhere near as shiny as it is, I would still be using flat pedals and there is NO WAY I would have conquered steepy without him cycling behind yelling at me! I have no idea about the technical side of my bike, she's pretty and gold and I love riding her, Andy is teaching me though, I know my front gear set is a compact and that when I'm cycling if I feel myself bouncing I'm in the wrong gear, and he's going to teach me to change an inner tube (good luck with that one!) He also takes me where I need to be, he drove to London, then sat around waiting for me for 7 hours (with my friends julia and dani) and still ran down and back up the hill with me, he's driving me 200 miles to Wales for Stonehenge and then driving home, then back to fetch me and he doesn't mind. He rides too and, next year we are planning a few charity events together. He rocks! And (soppy alert) I rather love him! I have so much support in my cycling and, I genuinely believe I would not be doing what I do if it wasn't for the support of family, friends, work mates and anybody else I bore with my new hobby. So, if you know me and you've been victim to my enthusiasm, thanks for your support, I couldn't do it without you!