Pedal and Stroke

Stella is the name that I gave to my mini-stroke. Some of you out there know that already… and some of you who don’t, might think that’s a bit strange. One of the ways that I could process that bonkers thing happening was to make it as ‘normal’ as possible. There is of course nothing normal at all about having a TIA; but the less alien it was in my life, the better I could cope. So ‘it’ became Stella; this uninvited and spontaneous guest who turned up in March last year, in an explosion of light. That same flash she arrived in made me finally see things differently, forcing me to cut some bad situations out of my life, and get on with living for me.

Anyway… we’ve been on a few adventures together, and now we’re taking on a challenge that’s pretty much all about her… the Thames Bridges Bike Ride with the Stroke Association. It’s an annual event stroke.org put on, and as much as I’m into my cycling, this is one ride that I wasn’t aware of, before Stella and I became somewhat aquatinted. A cause that’s now very close to my heart, I was touched when the Stroke Association contacted me to ask me to ride with them. Turns out there were some VCG followers in their team who had been following both me and my progress since it happened – so of course the answer to doing it was yes!

So, there is some training to get on with to be ready for the ride on 1st October, especially as the 55 mile challenge is the route I’ve got in mind. Its been a while since I’ve done a ride of that length, but this is something to work towards and enjoy. For me this won’t be a race: it’s a chance to reflect on what’s happened in a positive way, and anything that spreads awareness of Stroke has got to be a good thing, right?

You know what I’m like – I’ll be keeping a diary of my rides leading up to it over on Instagram, and probably a few blog posts on here of the good days and the bad… but to be honest, it’s all good working towards something like this.

I had a chat with the team over on stroke.org if you wanted to read up a little more on why I’m doing this and am thrilled to be supporting them… but look out for more updates on how it’s going too.

Right… here’s to hoping I’ve not forgotten how ride clipped-in over long periods of time, eh?