Continental Blog – Day 8 Addition

It is true that I have only been mentioning people when there was an actual incident and I would therefore like to go through the entire team and make some comments.

Tim Frank – Tim is clearly loving every moment. He is riding strongly and enjoying every friendship of the ride. The incident today when the Lady was in tears when Tim explained why he had created Inspired Living was a key moment for Tim. The Lady had returned to her village because her father was terminally ill with Cancer. We all met her father.

Andy Brown – Andy organised the routes for the daily rides and paid attention to the detail and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Regarding the ride, Andy is one of the strongest riders and is always in the front group each day and a major part of the success of the ride. He is an easy guy to get along with and a valuable member of the team.

Mike Spencer – Mike is a great organiser and a strong rider and is the guy sorting us out each day. What would we do without him !

Pete Horsnell – Pete is the oldest of us but an ex-racing cyclist who is a strong rider who does Audax’s with Mike. He is a really supportive team member.

Barnaby Rosevear – Barnaby handles the money. He is a good cyclist and not having any trouble with the distance but is also a really genuine and very likeable person. He is very much appreciated by the group.

Joe Allnutt – Joe was a physio for the Australian Olympic team but despite this calamitous mis-judgement he is a great guy and our current King of the Mountains.

Rob Prow – Rob has been riding with a really painful ankle all week but has kept going and is clearly strong and awesome in the mountains. He is very close behind Joe despite his injury.

Neil Flesher – Neil is an immensely strong rider and an easy person to get along with. He is thinking of taking up Cycle racing as a sport. He was helping his daughter through the first stages but since Lizzy left us (she was missed) Neil has been riding at the front of the group and enjoying the riding with his nephew Rob.

Hannah Rafferty – Valued member of the back-up squad and now a team member riding stages or part of stages. She is delightful and has been a great support for David.

Guy Rafferty – Guy is Hannah’s Dad. Guy is always smiling and a good strong cyclist. He does everything to 150%. He loves his wines and doesn’t lose an opportunity to indulge himself !!!

David Lane – David is in many ways the heart and soul of the team. He supports us, provides us with food and organises us when there are disasters. David is truly irreplaceable !!!

David Pope – David is a fairly quiet person but saved Tim F’s life today !!! when he helped him through the four punctures. David is a good rider and really supportive and a great team player.

Ian Larner – Ian is again a strong rider and really good team player. Ian is never in difficulty and really enjoys his cycling and a powerful rider. I particular remember the group hug between Ian, Pam, Stephen and Normand yesterday.

Stephen Pipes – Steven is our technology guru. He is playing with my smart phone each day to send back our location to keep the website updated. I do not understand what he does but he is brilliant at it.

Pam McLoughlin and Normand Howison – Are a strong team. Both are great cyclists and Normand has been looking after the tail of the peloton. There are many people who have reason to thank him for his assistance. Pam is also excelling on the mountains. Normand was also our French speaker and booked all the hotels in France.

Caroline Maynard – Caroline rides on and on and on. She has her pace and keeps to it day in day out, She has wit and is great company. Despite her illness she has continued strongly.

James Wadley – Jamie is a workaholic and in reality did not have time to prepare properly for the ride. However his tenacity and desire to succeed have seen him through and he has been a really brilliant member of the team. He should be congratulated for his efforts.

Andy Hore – Andy is larger than life. He is a 21 year old Rugby League player and has been invited to join the GB Olympic rowing squad. He is a top athlete and we are very pleased to have him as part of our group. He is a really strong rider on the flat but is edged out by his friend Joe on the climbs.

Lionel Jones – Lionel is one of the original Inspired living team and a great friend of Tim Frank. Lionel has worked solidly for the last 6 months at least to make the ride possible and then a resounding success. On the ride Lionel is a strong rider and always with the top group and has been keeping his own blog which I am looking forward to reading when I get back to the UK. I must also thank Lionel for all his help on the Winchester to Portsmouth event.

Scott Dryburgh – Scott is a great team player and is really delightful and always smiling. He is an ever improving cyclist and entertained us all watching the Italian GP and giving us a running commentary from is I-phone.

Tim Stevens – Tim is a really great guy. Clearly enjoying the ride and very competent as a rider. He is also usually to be found in the front group each day.

Andrew Gibson – I am enjoying the camaraderie and hopefully making a contribution.