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OK, so I might have just done something rather silly, I'm all signed up, paid and accepted to do this next year:http://www.rideacrossbritain.com/ - what have I got myself into?!
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With my temporary job coming to an end and my cycling still enthusing me I needed challenge, I needed direction, I needed routine. Signing up for such a big challenge, I thought, would give me all of those in spades, and being someone who has always believed that idleness breeds idleness, was convinced that by keeping myself busy I would also help me get another job. What I didn't count on however, was financial challenges, long delays of illness and bloody horrid weather.
The Ride Across Britain (RAB) would cost in total over £2000, I paid the £250 deposit back then in Sept, the next deadline being Dec 2012 which would take me over the half way mark. By now I'm sure you have realised, I had some long doses of the flu and, given the current state of the UK jobs market perhaps unsurprisingly, had remained unemployed. Come the December deadline, alas, I had to admit defeat and throw in the towel (and the £250 deposit I had already paid). Over the following months, without the challenge I had given myself to work towards, the flu, Christmas and the horrid British Winter weather I fell behind. And I am still unemployed!
I am still a little gutted that I will not be riding in the RAB this year, it remains a major goal of mine, but for the short term I need to concentrate on finding work. It is ironic and somewhat cruel when you think about it that being unemployed you have all the time in the world to plunge yourself into whatever endeavour you desire but none of the will - or financial support. The exact opposite I find is true when you are gainfully employed!
So perhaps it was something silly that I went and did, perhaps foolish, perhaps naive but at the time it was something I needed to do. Somewhat of a consolation I have signed up for the Pembrokeshire sportive later this April: http://www.tourofpembrokeshire.co.uk/ . I choose the 100 mile option so at the very least I shall get a slice of what it would have been like; I will have to see how badly my arse hurts the day later before I truly realise how bad it could have been!
anyway, thanks for reading.
God speed and good luck!
