Brothers-In-Arms...er....Legs

(Written Sunday 10th October 10- I'm still catching up on my blogging.....)


Doctor B.i.L - my Brother in Law - rang the other night with the final arrangements for ‘Around the Bay in a Day’.

It’s unusual for BiL to ring. We’ve been related by marriage for over 25 years yet a phone call to each other is rare. And to spend a whole day together is unheard of. We’ve lived in different parts of the country, had busy careers, he’s had a family to raise, and I’ve had beer to drink/ bad habits to develop. Different lives, different interests.

With his family he has visited my wife and I many times yet we’ve never really done anything together, just the two of us.

This journey, The Improbable Dream, is changing so much in my life. Months ago BiL heard of my long term dream to ride ‘The Bay’ and when he realised I’d been doing some serious training he signed us up. He then set about organising everything involved in the day, including the odd phone calls and email to keep me informed. He also occasionally checked to make sure I was on track with my training.

His efforts were both a very pleasant surprise and a delightful thing to do. I am staggered by his generous spirit. And I am so very pleased the journey is bringing us together. I’m looking forward to our day cycling together.

I think of it as ‘Brothers in Arms…er..Legs’.

I’ve got a problem though. He has organised for us to ride ‘The Bay’ with some friends of his in a standard cycling group formation. I've never ridden like this – all of my riding is solo, with no attempt EVER to slice though the wind/ share the load, peloton style. To now start riding in a group of experienced riders sounds daunting.

Bil also says they are planning on riding at a faster average than I’ve trained.

It seems I will have to learn fast group riding on the actual ride. If I had been thinking better, I would have joined the local cycling club and learnt how to group ride over the last few months. Too late now. I don’t want to let BiL down so I will just have to accept the challenge and do what has to be done.

That’s the thing with this journey. It has a constant stream of surprising twists and turns. It’s challenging but fun.

It also brings me into to contact with great people who are prepared to help me achieve my dream. And it constantly takes me out of my comfort zone.

It seems that once you set a goal and start working determinedly towards it, things happen, people join the journey, and the challenge takes on a much greater dynamic than originally expected. It becomes more fun, and more personally satisfying than originally imagined.

What a great lesson – It’s an Improbable Dream, but it is also a fascinating journey. Having the Dream, and making it come to life, makes for a better life.

More later, journey on
James




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