WHY DOES SUMMER COME NOW?

This is the sort of weather we need for the Coast to Coast bike ride! Lovely days with only light winds, followed by cool nights to ensure we want to cycle and warm up.

It has made me think that perhaps the best time to restart the ride would be March or April, when the weather doesn’t get too hot, but provides enough light in the morning and evening to reach each destination.

I think the plan will be to book a weekend close to the time when the weather forecast is good and it’ll mean we avoid the same situation as earlier this year.

To be honest I think we’d have been very lucky to pick the weekend to carry out the ride, raising money for Cancer Research UK, which gave us the weather we wanted.

I’d have been happy with rain showers, not flash floods, cold wind and being trapped for a night by flooding.

My bike has had a rest, while I’ve been running and playing football again, so my fitness levels only increase before the next time we attempt the ride.

Watching the cyclist, and all athletes, competing in the Paralympics makes me even more determined to complete the ride next time.

They deserve so much credit for what they achieve and the way they are all acting as inspiration to all of us.

It’s all about sacrificing things to achieve long term goals.

My sporting long term goal is to ride the Coast 2 Coast and I’ll be making sure that every effort is made to do it and show that the money donated by everyone so kindly, is done because of the way Pads, Neil and I have stretched our bodies to do so.