<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/?attachment_id=613" rel="attachment wp-att-613"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-613" title="Steve-cycle4cynthia" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Steve-cycle4cynthia.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /></a>Yesterday (23rd September) I took part in Cycle4Cynthia charity cycle ride. Jane is the cyclist in our family and normally I just go along for the ride but because of her recent accident I was left to carry the McCarthy flag on my own without my trainer and motivator. I confess I wasn’t looking forward to it especially as the weather forecast kept getting worse and worse and my fitness levels were not good.

There are many lycra clad people on the event who make light of cycling 50 miles but for me it’s the toughest physical event I take part in so it is a serious challenge however it’s in aid of two excellent causes (Cynthia Spencer Hospice and MacMillan Nurses).

<img id="rg_hi" class="alignright" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" alt="" width="177" height="43" data-height="68" data-width="276" />After 20 miles I didn’t feel too bad and when it started raining heavily at 30 miles I did have some doubts as to whether I was going to make it. Needless to say I gritted my teeth and pressed on arriving at the finish after 4 hours and 20 minutes, soaking wet; thoroughly exhausted but still managing a smile. Jane and our friend Sue were at the finishing line giving out medals and I got a special kiss from Jane, or at least I like to believe she wasn't kissing all the finishers. Thanks to Jane’s persistence we managed to raise nearly £500.

If you would like to sponsor me then call in at the Pig Yard on Church Street or follow this link: <a href="http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Stephen.Jane_McCarthy">http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Stephen.Jane_McCarthy</a>