Readers probably know that Robin and Barbara Cooper are leading the advanced party and left the UK on 23 June to cycle the 1,500 miles in three weeks. They’ll be meeting the full group in Lucerne. Here’s the tale from day four on the bikes…

After 285 miles, max speed 40mph,  temp 40 degrees every day, 12500 feet of climbing and thankfully no punctures and one crash we’re having our last Greek salad on the waterfront at Igoumenitsa awaiting the 8pm sailing for Italy. Random tune of today is A Mash-Up as young dudes call it of The Only Way is Up and I’ve Got The Power which Barbara says she hasn’t.

 It’s been like a David Attenborough ecological disaster movie in terms of road kill. Red squirrels, sheep, goats, stoats, feral cats, dogs, what I’m sure was a black bear ( we had admittedly gone into the mountains by mistake then) lots of adders, a black snake I think was a black mamba and a coloured one I think was a boa constrictor. I know my reptiles I’ve worked with some in the past.

 We’ve concluded there is a vacancy for  a health and safety officer over here. Our prizes go to the bloke on a moped holding an 8 foot aluminium ladder, the guy with three other mates on one moped with no crash helmets, the 6 foot pole ( not a person from Poland fortunately) protruding from the back of a car without any warning and the lorry piled high with hay held on with one bit of cord. On almost 300 miles we’ve seen countless abandoned road schemes which have all run out of money but today we saw one guy building a road by himself with a rake and half a mile on another 6 guys – no high viz, no helmets and no warning of the bulldozer reversing into the roadway in front of us. As for vehicle indicators we guess you fail the driving test if you use them because people just career off the road when they feel like it, open car doors and pull out from side roads. In all our journey we’ve met not one, NOT ONE cyclist. I think the Greeks know it’s only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. And Barbara. R and B xx

Attached yet again Barbara gets off her bike to charm the melon man showing off her Will.I.Am cycle glasses. Robin awaits the ferry and a stork seen on the way.

First and fantastically best: we have now passed £35000 sponsorship for the Air Ambulance. Robin and Barbara Cooper have been beating the path ahead of us since Sunday. There reports of high temperatures and dodgy tractors make daunting reading. The second group of 12 fly out early tomorrow morning. Start time 6.00am Saturday from Olympia. A great and very challenging adventure. Please come and greet us at Canterbury Cathedral at 16.15 on July 14th. If we make it we shall fall into your arms!

Readers probably know that Robin and Barbara Cooper are leading the advanced party and left the UK on 23 June to cycle the 1,500 miles in three weeks. They’ll be meeting the full group in Lucerne. Here’s the tale from day three on the bikes…

Heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail. Incredible. None of these featured today in another 40 degree scorcher. Very, very hot with hills right to the end. We’ve never drunk so much water in our lives. From Mesolongi at long last it’s very quiet roads with fabulous islands and turquoise coast to look at. Crazy motorway schemes that seem to have no purpose and have run out of money and been abandoned along with holiday homes and time share. Sadly my Garmin deleted everything so we went back to maps. I have to say Barbara appeared less than impressed with our unintended 10 mile detour into the mountains. We ended up doing 88 today. The last bit to Prevesa is tedious past a military airport with “no photo” signs. We were tempted to take a holiday snap but decided against. The tunnel where you need to be escorted through was very efficient. We just called at the office and an old jalopy came to collect us. I’m pretty sure taking bikes across 6 lanes of traffic by a toll on foot is pretty safe as were the two bikes dumped in the back of the truck with me perched on the back of the open truck driving at 60 in the tunnel. Kevin, i suggest you just say goodbye to your bike. In Preveza now and 50miles to the ferry at Igoumenitsa tomorrow. If we see “Welcome to Albania” we’ve gone too far. Pic of me with some of the locals on the way and Barbara on the lovely coast road.

Well today has been a day of ups and downs (literally). It all started well, we made an early start to get miles in before the heat really takes hold. We had completed 20 miles quite quickly and were looking to get to Patras when disaster struck. Robin, in an attempt to miss a greek farmer in a truck pulling out of a side road totally oblivious to us, swerved, caught my wheel and fell into the road. He has a badly bruised knee, a cut lip and he has lost some of his front tooth. The local mechanics came over and tried to help. We cycled on and found a pharmacy for provisions of antiseptic dressings etc. Well the greeks couldn’t have been more helpful. They took Robin into a back room and cleaned his wounds – god knows what they put on it but it stung!

Then we went onto Patras, through the town where mopeds seem to like nothing better than overtaking you on the inside (I didn’t think there was any space available!). Then onto Mesolongi, up 2 big hills. We stopped for  fruit and the trader kindly gave us the peaches for free – how kind was that!

I have no ipad with me but I seem to be able to conjure up random songs – yesterday it was ‘Airport’ and today its been ‘Rhythm is a dancer’ – no rhyme or reason.

Until tomorrow.

Barbara and Robin

We’ve now reached a wonderful £30,000 for the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance.Thank you to all who have donated so generously so far and please do help spread the word and encourage others to support us and help us reach that £50,000 target.

End of day one on the bike and we’ve only got 1454 miles to go! Scorchio today. 40 degrees, no punctures but very, very hot feet on metal pedals. Hadn’t reckoned on that. Barbara reckons the wind feels like a hairdryer. Now on Greek coast at Brinia.

In the race for the start at the Ancient Olympic site between Medway and KCC (Robin works for Medway Council and Barbara for KCC) you can clearly see Medway are the winners although KCC claimed a false start. Bad losers some would say. Dinner beckons. That will be er,,,,,,, Greek salad.

Many congratulations to Canon Ed Condry, one of the lead organisers of the ride, on his nomination earlier this week to the Suffragan See of Ramsbury, in the Diocese of Salisbury, We are desperately sad to be losing Ed to Salisbury but make sure we enjoy our time with him on this trip and no doubt he’ll be plotting some rides for us in the future that take in his new home territory.

I have just completed my second fitness test. The worse thing about it was the saddle and I messed up the last segment by forgetting to stay seated! I am awaiting the results but the headline news is that I have improved – both in weight and fitness level. Yippee! It’s a relief to know those many hours of training have paid off.
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Am I still anxious? Yes! Until we start pedalling in Greece I will continue to be a nervous wreck.
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The next goal is to have a  surge in donations after my fundraising efforts this weekend. Velia