Double down on one little duck - less than 2 weeks to go!

It's arrived! This is what I will be proudly wearing on 4th August for the RideLondon-Surrey 100 event. I don't know if it'll make me any easier to spot amongst the thousands of cyclists but I've got some iron-on lettering to spell "CATH" across my shoulders so if you're coming to support - feel free to shout at my back! In fact, just shout "CATH" at every Mind cycling top wearing entrant and you'll be sure to get me at some point (there are 130 of us!). If you're thinking about coming to watch, you can download a fab spectator's guide here: http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/Assets/London+Marathon+Digital+Assets/Prudential+RideLondon/London+Marathon+Digital+Assets/Downloadable/Prudential-RideLondon-Surrey-100-Spectators-Guide.pdf
Also, let me know if you want me to put you in touch with friends and family that will be there on the day.

This week I'm super chuffed that RideLondon posted about this very blog on their Google+, facebook and twitter sites! https://www.facebook.com/#!/RideLondon?hc_location=stream! It's now had over 800 views and I've also received lots of encouragement from the (far more accomplished) Mind Charity cyclists page on facebook too.

Since my last post I have exceeded my initial fundraising target of £600, so I'd like to say another big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to donate and support me with this :-)
It's not over yet, though! Having taken advice, I have upped the target to a whopping £1,200!!!
Yes - that's DOUBLE what I initially wanted to raise, so come on people, if you've been meaning to do it but haven't quite gotten around to it yet - stop reading right now, grab a credit/debit card and go here immediately: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CathyHyland
Remember, I have been out in some crazy hot weather (and picked up a few saddle sores) training for this ;-)

Last weekend my long ride (72.5 miles) went quite smoothly, despite the heat. It didn't go smoothly for everyone, though - I did stop at one point to check a fellow cyclist was OK after I saw him stumbling around on the side of the road. He was holding his head and I was worried that he'd been hit, or had hit his head on the ground, but when I reached him he was in the process of plucking a bee sting out of his scalp! Apparently the bee had flown into one of the vents in his cycle helmet and got stuck - poor guy had a shaved head so no hair to protect him. Another cyclist stopped and offered him antihistamines (something I'll add to my kit from now on!) and you'll be glad to hear he was fine :-)

What with all of the calories I've been burning, I love that I can have guilt free ice cream in this weather. In fact, I'm feeling pretty good - like I might actually be able to do this, after all :-)

Now, where to find the best remedy for chafed buttocks...

Cathy x
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CathyHyland