Twinkle Toes and Tina go for the E.L.L.I.E. 100

[Oscar's dad]

Tomorrow afternoon Twinkle Toes, Tina the Tandem and I set off on our sponsored ride in aid of TT's Cub pack.  Our 100 mile route through Essex passes by places whose first letters spell out TT's name: East Hanningfield, Lower Bobbingworth Green, Little Bardfield, Ivy Hall near Panfield and finishing at Elm Hall School in Witham.



The local paper is right behind us, we made the front page with a feature inside and are now on the paper's website

We want to raise £500 and are doing well.  If you would like to sponsor us please CLICK HERE.

There will be pictures and a report posted when we get back.

[delthebike]

Want an escort for a few miles? What time will you be at East Hanningfield?

[Oscar's dad]

Want an escort for a few miles? What time will you be at East Hanningfield?

Why not!  We are leaving home at about 4pm tomorrow afternoon and heading up North Hill, we are camping at Kelvedon Hatch (bring your tent?)  I reckon E Hanningfield by about 5:30 ish but your welcome to set off from home with us.

[токамак]

Love that photo. And I hope it's smiles all the way - good luck!

[Oscar's dad]

Love that photo. And I hope it's smiles all the way - good luck!

 

[delthebike]

I shall lurk in EH and escort you to Ingatestone/Doddinghurst area. 

[Oscar's dad]

Fab, I have your mobile number so will keep you posted.  I was planning to stop at The Hoop in Stock for a quick dinner before pressing on to Kelvedon Hatch.

[clarion]

Sounds brilliant.  Hope you have lots of fun.

[Mike J]

Good Luck, looks like fun!

[delthebike]

Just returned from escorting OD and TT from East Hanningfield to Kelvedon Hatch. A pleasant pootle with a light dinner at the Hoop in Stock. I left them putting up the tent and boiling the kettle.
I've got lots of pics but they'll have to wait, probably Sunday, for uploading.

Edit: Just after West Hanningfield and before Stock I dropped my camera  whilst trying to get the wrist strap off so I could pocket the camera. A nice couple of dents in the case but it still works. MJU850, really does seem to be shockproof. 

[Wowbagger]

MJU850, really does seem to be shockproof. 

For a more extensive test you should have taken it to the WNBR.

[delthebike]

MJU850, really does seem to be shockproof. 

For a more extensive test you should have taken it to the WNBR.

The camera would survive that. I'm not sure I would!    {mind bleach} 

Here are some Ellie road trip pics, Clicky.

[FatBloke]

Blood pressure tablets?  Who needs em?!!   

[nuttycyclist]

Is that Ken Dodd?

[Oscar's dad]

We've done 75 miles so an easier day tomorrow. Twinkle Toes did very well today, 45 miles of head winds and rolling country.

[Oaky]

We've 75 miles so an easier day tomorrow. Twinkle Toes did very well today, 45 miles of head winds and rolling country.

Have you factored in the extra miles to and from the toilet block at the Gosfield site?

I was wishing I had a bike with me for that outing.

[Oscar's dad]

We got home just after lunch having done 102 miles and spelled out Twinkle Toes' name.  Ellie did incredibly well and we are very proud of her.  I am absolutely knackered!.

More words and pictures when I've recovered a bit.

[Oaky]

We got home just after lunch having done 102 miles and spelled out Twinkle Toes' name.  Ellie did incredibly well and we are very proud of her.  I am absolutely knackered!.

More words and pictures when I've recovered a bit.

Fantastic - well done both of you.

More pictures?  You mean this one isn't enough on its own:-



If i'd seen this before the jersey orders were finalised, I'd have switched colours - I hadn't realised that the red dye leached in through the skin and changed the hue of ones ears.

 

[Oscar's dad]

Right then, I know it's been a couple of weeks since we finished the ride but here is what happened in a few words and rather more pictures ...

We set off at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, later than anticipated and had to stop just outside Terling for me to spend 15 minutes on the phone sorting out a Friday afternoon work related panic 

After toiling up North Hill, Little Baddow and hitting 30.6mph going down the other side we bagged our first "E" ...



Twinkle Toes had a wee in the ditch by the sign showed above and we then met Delthebike.

Del's legendary picture further up the thread tells it's own story, I was keen to keep the pace high to make up lost time.  By the time we got to our dinner stop at Stock, I was feeling a little jaded ...



We had a nice meal and drank beer ...



Fortified ...



... we pressed on to our campsite at Kelvedon Hatch.  One of us wasn't remotely jaded and ran round to our pitch rather than hitch a ride on Tina ...



Up goes the tent ...



First leg: 30.13 miles, average speed 11.5mph

The next morning after a breakfast of beans and sausages we bagged our first "L" ...



Breakfast number 2 was eaten shortly afterwards ...



A third breakfast of Coke, chocolate, Ginsters pasty and bubble gum was eaten at Hatfield Broad Oak.  We passed Stansted Airport, Thaxted and then came to our second "L" ...



By this point the tiniest incline was becoming a problem and Twinkle Toes came into her own as the world's best 9-year old stoker. 

Finally, after an emergency pub stop for beer and crisps in Beazley End we got to our second campsite at Gosfield Lakes ...



We watched the water skiers ...



And made bows and arrows ...



Second leg: 44.3 miles, maximum speed 29.6mph, average 10.9mph

Noisy groups of adults and a firework display at just past midnight that sounded like the opening salvos of a world war meant I had a lousy night.  Twinkle Toes slept soundly    We breakfasted on chicken curry flavoured Pot Noodle (amazingly not  ) and set off in search of an "I" ...



We got a bit lost in Braintree, cycled around an office car park, I swore quite a bit until we found the Flitch Way.  We thought we had picked up a puncture but hadn't, met our friend Dave (fellow NCN Ranger) at Great Notley Country Park and in company set off for the Square and Compasses at Fuller Street.  After beer, J2O and crisps we hooned on to Witham and our final "E" ...



.... and then home.  We did 26.25 miles on the final day and the GPS reckons we did 102 miles ...



Ellie did very, very well for a kid her age.  Not once did she moan and wants to do it again    We have nearly achieved our target of £500 so if you'd like to lob us a few quid click on the Just Giving link on my signature line.  It was a superb ride and a privilege to share it with such a brilliant stoker 

[Oscar's dad]

PS - thanks to Del and Dave for some of the photos 

[Wowbagger]

By the time we got to our dinner stop at Stock, I was feeling a little jaded ...

What was he doing there?

[Oscar's dad]

By the time we got to our dinner stop at Stock, I was feeling a little jaded ...

What was he doing there?

I wish he had been there on Saturday afternoon.  He could have pedaled the tandem for a while.