Challenging weather conditions caused an extremely difficult decision this week.

High winds sweeping parts of the country, coupled with health concerns, meant that on reaching Ironbridge on Day 03 of LE JOLE 2011, jole rider had no choice but to cancel this ride for Eddie’s health and safety.

Eddie Sedgemore, aged 69, left Land’s End on Saturday to begin his epic 2011 mile cycle ride to John O’Groats and all the way back to Land’s End in just 22 days.  Eddie was doing this mammoth bike ride to raise funds for jole rider so that more African children can get to school by bike.

We are all bitterly disappointed and none more so than Eddie himself, who was very difficult to convince that cancellation was in his best interests.

On a positive note, Eddie is raring to go again.  This man will not be restrained! 
We have spoken with our corporate sponsors about this and all have expressed their enthusiasm to support Eddie in achieving his goal. 

In addition, all the Rotary Clubs we are connected with along his route share the very same ambition to support the endeavour.
They all wish to remain involved when Eddie has a second go.

Eddie and ourselves have pinpointed Sat 12 May 2012 for his second attempt to beat his Guinness World Record.

We have, however, added another mile to the distance as a penalty for the delay.
The ride next year will be called LE JOLE 2012, the target being 2012 miles instead of the comfortable 2011 this year!
We have sealed the Donations Bottle and will carry over the cash donations received until we open the bottle again next May.
Eddie's fundraising page on JustGiving will also remain open for donations until after his ride next May.

This time we will be inviting company for Eddie. 
An invitation will be issued to all those that might like to join Eddie on the ride.  That might be for a complete End2End of 1000 miles or for just a day’s ride between overnight stops.
Keep watch on Charity Bike Rides for news.

So, from Eddie and jole rider, a great big Thank You to everyone, including all the Rotary Clubs and Rotarians, who supported Eddie on his epic journey and particulary all our corporate supporters and suppliers of his hi-tech equipment, which included...
The terrific Storck Raddar electric bike..
SatMap which guided Eddie through the twisting country Lanes..
Sport-Cam which recorded the high points of Eddie’s ride from the handlebars..
Retrieva Tracking device which meant we knew where Eddie was every moment of the day

All these devices performed brilliantly for Eddie, unlike the weather of course! 

 

Please take a look at the other images from Eddie’s ride on flickr

 

Our man Eddie Sedgemore this week took possession of his flying machine, otherwise known as a Storck Multitask.
Eddie will soon be seen out riding the bike in South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, but don’t blink – you might miss him!

A big thank you to Ian Hughes, Managing Director of Storck Raddar.
Ian brought the Storck all the way from Gateshead and will be cycling with Eddie for 2 day stages of the epic LE JOLE 2011  route.
Eddie will also be joined by other fellow travellers – watch this space!

Helping to try out the Storck for speed:
Les Sedgemore, Steve Atyeo, Eddie, Ian Hughes, Helen King and Owen Coutts

In our update on Eddie [Sedgmore] this week we can tell you he came face to face with jole rider's man in The Gambia.
Eddie met Boyo Touray, who was over in the UK for a flying visit.
Boyo runs bikes4Africa for jole rider in The Gambia and has been involved with jole rider since the very beginning. 
Eddie was able to get a full account of life, as it is for a child without a bike in Africa, trying to get to school.
Not that Eddie needed any more inspiration, but he certainly got it - listening to Boyo's real life stories!

On the exercise front, tapering is the practice of reducing an exercise regime in the days or weeks leading up to a big sporting event and is key to ensuring that athletes are rested and rejuvenated.  And so recently, Eddie took some time out from his training regime for LE JOLE 2011 to get involved with a little light work for jole rider.

So thinking of taking it steady - the day before his 69th birthday - Eddie had a day out on the road helping his son Les, a regular team member for jole rider.  After loosening up cycling the short hop from Marshfield to Hullavington, he was out in the “JOLE Van” to collect bikes from Wiltshire recycler, Hills Waste  where the two of them netted 90 bikes4Africa out of the Household Recycling Centres.

Some of these bikes were then swiftly turned around and reloaded in the rig for Les to take into Liverpool Prison's refurbishing workshop the following day. We know that heaving bikes around can be exhausting and after Wednesday we think Eddie prefers cycling. 
Frankly, I think there are times when we do, too!  

Happy Birthday Eddie!

Eddie with Boyo

This was a dream come true. 
The crowd roared as Eddie Sedgemore took the last hairpin bend, with Thomas Voeckler clamped to his rear wheel.
“I’m going to take this!” Eddie screamed as he climbed towards the “Island of the Sun”, Alpe-d’Huez, [Stage 19] kicking out for all he was worth.
But then, it all went wrong... he woke up!

Beryl [Mrs Sedgemore] looks at Eddie and says, “Was it Le Tour again Eddie?”
Yes, but at least LE JOLE 2011 is real - he thinks quietly to himself.

Actual result –
Night time preparations for LE JOLE 2011 are progressing well for Eddie. 
All we will say is: Eddie, remember your TITS and BUMS.
Bums need to be well prepared for a ride of 2011 miles.
TITS = Time In The Saddle.

Eddie leading the peloton Photoshopped by jole rider

 

 

 

While training for his 2011 mile bike ride, LE JOLE 2011, Eddie has been electrified by an email to jole rider from Duncan Walker, a VSO volunteer based in Basse, The Gambia.

Duncan says: ”Every morning as I ride to work I see a massive migration of children on your bikes going down the Mansajang Highway to school.
Even beyond enabling kids to get to school, the bikes have made a big impact on the town as a whole. The more bikes/parts/skills there are in the town, the cheaper it is to cycle.

“I have seen bikes used to transport pretty much anything you can think of, I've even since people with their whole shop strapped to their panniers.
Bikes seem to be a vital link for people in the villages who want to have access to education, employment or the clinic.”

It’s just this kind of message which spurs on Eddie, and ourselves at jole rider.
Thank you Duncan. Thank you Eddie.

Rotary President for Great Britain & Ireland, Jim Moulson, visited jole rider to take a closer look at the charity's UK operation.  In April jole rider presented to Jim's Annual Rotary Conference in Dublin, where Rotary Members representing more than 1800 Clubs from around the country heard how jole rider, with their Rotary partners, are changing lives in Africa.  Now Jim wanted to see and understand more, and at the same time meet Rotarians, Mike Naylor and John Crawford, who went to Gambia with jole rider earlier this year.

Jim was amazed to see the bikes all neatly waiting in rows to be shipped to schools in Africa.  He said, "You have to look at each bike as being another student walking to school and the sooner they can get to Africa, the sooner they will change lives. And that is just a money thing - £10 a bike will do that". 

Rotarian Kevin Pitt of KP Despatch was also on hand to explain how his company works with jole rider to move bikes from Center Parcs villages from all over the country to the Hullavington BikeStation.  Jim also met Les, a jole rider volunteer.  Father of Les, Electric Eddie , this September will be riding more than 2,000miles to raise £15,000 for jole rider.  Jim will be welcoming Eddie to his home turf in Paisley, Scotland, on his way up to John O'Groats from Land's End.  You can follow Eddie and his bike, on facebook. 

Jim didn't actually get on his bike of course, at least not this time, but he could see there were plenty to choose from!

 

 

In preparation for his 2000 mile bike ride, Eddie arrives at Hullavington military airfield base for a spot of training. It seems that all those burly soldiers made themselves scarce leaving our man to belt out the next phase of fitness plan alone.

Having the pick from over 2000 of jole rider's bikes, Electric Eddie chose this 'bad boy', otherwise known as the jole rider Chopper, with wide tyres and flame paint job, which can be followed on facebook .  This bike was refurbished and repainted by an inmate at HMP Gloucester.  It is now one of our resident display bikes.  Not being one to build up to these things too gradually our man warms up with few laps of the perimeter road before chasing some resident bombers up and down the runways.

Ok, perhaps we exaggerate slightly but we don't know of anyone of his age (69) taking a challenge of this scale, not that Eddie seems very phased by it!

As for the tight Lycra leggings... no comment, and perhaps think carefully before enlarging the photo above!