Persuaded To Enroll By A Good Chum, My Training Consisted Basically Of Laps Around Regent’s Park On The Bike I Received From My Elders As A Batmitzvah Present.
Though not usually superstitious, the portents weren’t promising in the lead up to my collaboration in the Norwood bike ride in Croatia. Persuaded to enroll by a good pal, my coaching consisted basically of laps around Regent’s Park on the bike I received from my elders as a batmitzvah present.
Over 3 months, my brakes broke and I lost the key to my bike lock while it was chained. My man and coaching partner broke his hand and a bike he was due to borrow was thieved. But ignoring the warning indicators, we joined twenty-five other riders on the cycle, which raised £32,000 for Young Norwood.
Also taking part were 2 Ravenswood residents – Richard Tooke, 52, who has Downs’s syndrome, and Jon Feuchtwanger, 62, who has a mild learning incapacity and dysphasia, which is affecting his speech.
The residents cycled on tandem bikes with Ravenswood sports consultants Nigel Trumper and Michelle Bass and were a consistent inspiration.
Starting in Makarska, southern Croatia, riders were transported by boat to the pretty island of Hvar, where a pleasing morning cycle was followed by the serious business of a 1,200 foot climb. Everyone was exhausted but the group mentality was a great motivator.
Makarska Riviera is part of Dalmatian coast of Adriatic, about sixty kilometers long and only several kilometers wide, squeezed under soaring mountain Biokovo. Sunny climate and long pebbly beaches make this region a popular visitor destination. A succession of settlements along the coast from the border with the Omis Riviera on the northwest to the Neretva delta on the southeast. We are terribly proud to offer you the big number of quality accommodation facilities in all the places of the amazingly pretty Makarska riviera.
Makarska is a town in the Split – Dalmatia county of Croatia, population 13,716 (2001). It is found on the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia, about sixty km southeast of Split and 140 km northwest of Dubrovnik. It is a tourist centre, found on a horseshoe shaped bay between the Biokovo mountain and the Adriatic Sea. The town is noted for its palm-fringed promenade, where fashionable cafs, bars and boutiques overlook the pretty harbor where many pleasure craft are berthed.
Arrival to Makarska over Biokovo, from Vrgorac offers a breathtaking wonderful view of riviera, from Drasnice, Podgora, Tucepi, Brela, all of the way to the Split, and in front to the islands Brac, Hvar, Korcula and promontory Peljesac.
Center of Makarska is an old town with narrow stone-paved streets, a main church square where there is a flower and fruit market, and a Franciscan monastery that houses a sea shell collection featuring a giant clam shell. Most of the city’s hostels are found just off the bay and their own non-public beaches.
In Makarska, one can find many hostels, pubs, boozer, pizzerias, coffee bars, pastry shops and the rest needed for a tranquil and carefree vacation in the sun-bathed shores of the Mediterranean. Tourism in Makarska began long ago, even before the development of the hotel Osejava in 1914. The biggest town square is found in the town center, near the waterfront – the square of Andrija Kacic Milosic,where countless cultural events take place. The square was named after the most noted dalmatian poet.
For some, the fast descent was far more daunting with the dramatic drop of the cliffside just inches away. Ari Raymond, a 26-year-old selling executive from Hendon, was riding in memory of his late cousin, a Ravenswood resident.
“Having seen the difference in my cousin whenever he came back for weekends with my family, I knew there had been something the work Norwood do,” he said. “But I couldn’t quite appreciate how much and to what lengths they are going to give residents the highest level of care achievable. Seeing the tandem teams made me aware of how much I take for granted in my life.”
Optimistic of a peaceful Saturday, participators found out that the leisurely walk along the promenade reported by last year’s group had been supplanted by a strenuous trek up a mountain higher than Ben Nevis.
Reaching the 4,600 feet peak was incredibly rewarding but the return journey on loose stones was even stronger than the challenging walk up. The trek took 8 hours to complete.
On Sunday, there had been another boat journey to the island of Brac for a 1,700 foot climb by bike. Aching bodies took a bit to heat up but the whole group made it and were rewarded by ten kilometres downhill and an incredible beach at the end of the forty mile route.
The cyclists also included businesswoman Nina Forman, whose family were among the Ravenswood founders. The 36-year-old from Golders Green began “really frightened” but ended up enjoying herself immensely. “Whilst it was hard work, I’m up for challenging myself.”
Leonie Gold, thirty, a helper news editor from Borehamwood, said that “facing a relentless bike climb on our first day, I wondered how I was intending to make it. Then I turned round and saw Richard and Jon pedalling up the mountain on their tandems. This was all of the inspiration I needed. It also helped being besieged by a number of the loveliest coastline I’ve ever seen.”
Norwood intends to raise £800,000 from bike rides this year, writes tagza.com.
Pro-Ride synthetic surface after 1.5 inches of rain overnight
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Wintec Comfort Ride Synthetic Saddle – Brown – 15 $318.45 |
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Wintec Comfort Ride Synthetic Saddle – Black – 16 $318.45 |
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Kincade Redi-Ride Synthetic Stirrup Leathers BLACK 62″ $25.50 |
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Kincade Redi-Ride Synthetic Stirrup Leathers BLACK 54″ $25.50 |
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Kincade Redi-Ride Synthetic Stirrup Leathers BLACK 47″ $25.50 |
