Redefining the word "Challenge"

Hi everyone, Keiron here. 

A few months ago, in what seems now like a distant memory, I remember Nigel saying to me:  “Come and cycle to Monte Carlo” .. “It’ll be an awesome challenge”. Well self-evidently, I agreed, joined up and started to train – but little did I truly realise what a challenge it was going to be.

Martha Blay

Just as my training was beginning to get into full swing, my wife Polly gave birth to our beautiful new baby girl Martha a little earlier than anticipated on 11^th February. That of course was going to stop any training for a short while anyway. But the "challenge gods" weren’t finished with me just yet! 

On Saturday afternoon when Mum and daughter arrived home from hospital, we were all upstairs resting when I heard a strange noise coming from downstairs. Initially I ignored it – and it was not until my two boys asked if they could go downstairs to play that they came running back upstairs and told me that there was loads of water in the house. Still unperturbed, after all boys do tend to exaggerate don't they.....and just how bad could it really be....I went to investigate to find that my entire house was flooded !!! And the water was rising up above ground floor level !! We were trapped upstairs: me, my wife, my brand new baby girl and our three other children.  Trapped. The stuff of absolute nightmares!

Outside our front door

A few calls to the emergency services and lots of worrying later, we were rescued and we discovered that the Thames Water mains supply had ruptured outside our house and flooded the house, garden and just about everywhere. But my bike was safe as it was hung up in the garage!

Our garden

So my "challenge", initially a Cycle to Monte Carlo, had grown in one weekend, to a cycle ride, a new baby girl, having to evacuate our beautiful home, find somewhere else to live, move out, rent a load of new belongings and deal with the nightmare that is the Insurance Company. 

Needless to say I’ve been a busy boy the past few weeks sorting everything out. But, whilst still a mess, we are gradually getting on top of things and I’ll be there at the start line on the 29th raring to go. Maybe not quite as prepared as I’d have liked to have been – but I’ll be there!

Compared to what I’ve been through the Alps will be a doddle - I hope J