Folks,
Tonight I completed my last ride for the challenge this year and I just wanted to say thank you to everybody for your very donations, the messages of support and the encouragement you gave me to keep going when the chips were down.
I’m thrilled to report I not only hit my 310kms goal but smashed it out of the park in the end by riding 366kms over the month - Not bad considering I was knocked out due to ill health for 10 days during the month.
I’m also absolutely over the moon to reveal that I also got my secret goal which was to ride for at least one full day in total for the month (24 hours+) and with tonight’s last ride I managed to hit 24 hours, 30 minutes and 10 seconds!
Finally I just wanted to remind everybody that life is too short so while you’re here be your best and give back to society when you can - It’s great for the soul.
Cheers Dave
P.S. I hope I did you proud Gussy and I’ll make sure I’m on Race 7 #7 in the Cup on Tuesday!
Folks,
With one week to go I thought I’d give everybody on update on my progress to date. The month started off well with my daily rides slowly starting to increase in duration as my fitness improved but 10 days in my body had a bit of meltdown and I was medically stood down for 9 days. After some antibiotics kicked in I got back on the bike last Sunday and have been trying to play catch up ever since.
This has seen me ride over 120kms in the last 6 days and 2 of those rides have been for a tad over 80 minutes in length (something I never thought I’d be able to do). The power of the mind is an amazing thing.
On the fundraising front you guys have been absolutely incredible! I hit my initial goal yesterday ($5000) and have now reset that at $5697 to see if I can hit my stretch target (If I can achieve this it would mean I have raised $20,000 over the last 3 years for this wonderful cause).
For now I will keep riding until I hit my distance goal for the challenge (310kms) and also strive to hit another secret goal I set myself at the start of the ride. I’ll update you on that one at the end.
To everybody who has sent me both public and private messages throughout the month to encourage me to keep going thank you! Your support has meant a lot and I promise you I will be pushing all the way to the end to not only meet my commitments but deliver as much as I can for the kids who desperately need this support.
Finally, during this month I received a reply from my donors family in response to a letter I sent them 6 months post transplant this year thanking them for the gift of life. It reminded me why I’m doing things like this to try to give back for a debt I can never clear. I urge you, if you haven’t done so already, to consider registering to donate your organs/tissues and have the conversation re your wishes with your loved ones. One decision can save many lives!
I’ll send another update next Friday as the quest comes to an end - Have a great weekend!
Cheers Dave