David Seall Blog

UPDATE 30th May 2022

Well I did it!

So pleased to have completed Ride London for Oakleaf

My fundraising has gone well but more contributions are always gratefully received on my Just Giving page. Just ten pounds will pay for a counselling session for someone in need to please help if you can.

The ride itself was interesting and much tougher than I expected. Where I live it’s very hilly with hardly any flat ground around at all. This means for every climb there’s usually a descent to rest and recuperate.

This ride on the softly undulating landscape of Essex was full power all of the way with no respite. Interestingly the heart rate stayed in a defined range as did the power output. The Northerly wind against  for the first 50 miles was also a challenge plus a few gusty side winds too.

On the top cog throughout but the shoulder (see below) certainly gave me a constant reminder of what happened a few years ago.

Here’s an analysis on Strava

The ride itself was quite congested. I saw the aftermath of at least 8 accidents and there were a few close calls in the congested areas with some overenthusiastic riding by a few. We were also delayed while some poor soul was evacuated away by helicopter, I hope they are ok.

So that’s the second Ride London done for me and maybe the last!

At the moment I never want to eat another energy bar again (being diabetic controlled by diet doesn’t help!)

Many thanks to all of those who have encouraged me, my family for putting up with the training rides and those who have supported my charitable efforts!

UPDATE  12th May 2022

As this week is Mental Health Awareness week and I am supporting local charity Oakleaf ,  I thought I’d update on my training for the ride with just over two weeks to go – full details are on my Just Giving page. The birthday is now out of the way by the way!

I’ve been getting a few miles in which you will see on my just giving page, trying to average over 70 miles a week. I even snuck in a crafty, albeit slow, ride in Amsterdam last week on a long weekend break. It wasn’t easy to find any hills to climb apart from the bridges but the hefty bike made it hard work.

I’ll be doing the Kelly’s 50 miler on the 22nd as my final big prep ride. The next report will hopefully be after I have completed the ride

If any other friends and colleagues are doing the ride drop me a line with your start time when you get it. Always nice to have some company in a crowd of 25000!

Cheers

David

Every year 1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental health issue

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the mental health and wellbeing of UK adults, and those who were already struggling have been disproportionately impacted.

The uncertainty and stress caused by the war in Ukraine, which must be unbearable for those closely involved,  is only adding to this.

In 2018/19, stress, depression or anxiety were responsible for 44% of all cases of work-related ill health and 54% of all working days lost due to health issues in GB

People with mental health needs have the second lowest employment rate of any disabled group with only 28.5% securing long-term work, and those with mental ill-health are more vulnerable to the negative effects of unemployment

Some people do recover, they respond well to treatment and medication without too much damage to their emotional, social and working life.

So this year I’m cycling the new 100mile Ride London route into darkest Essex – truly a trip into the unknown for me!

I’m doing it to raise money for Oakleaf Enterprise and my Just Giving link is here

Oakleaf exists to help people who are less fortunate and find their road to recovery more difficult to achieve. Finding and keeping a job is an important aspect of the recovery process and ensuring the right support is vital.

With the help of friends and family we managed to raise well over £2000 for Oakleaf.

Two and a half years ago, just before lockdown, I had the misfortune to crash my Mountain Bike at high speed

After a repair and consequential removal of the metalwork, days before the virus took hold, I was back on my bike within 5 months of the accident.

A huge thank you to the team at Frimley Park Hospital for fixing me and some fantastic rehabilitation physio. (I’m not such a bold descender these days)

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.