The countdown has finished, 300 miles, 6 days, 1 bicycle, the Great Wall of China and Local Resident Jo Bray!

We were very pleased to catch-up with local resident Jo Bray, following her charity cycle along the Great Wall to raise funds for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Asking Jo about her experience, she told us “In a word, amazing! The whole experience was one I will never forget. There were so many firsts, from flying on a Jumbo Jet, going to China, their culture, experiencing the toilet facilities, (lol)! It was a sensory overload from start to finish, so much to take in but a wonderful and beautiful country. ”

“It was so much better than I expected. I met the most amazing group of people who were all there to do the same thing, cycle and raise money for their chosen charities. They were all so supportive and we had so much fun. Charity Challenge, the company
who organised the event were fantastic and we had the most amazing leader, Penny, who just kept everyone going and our moods upbeat. I didn t really know what to expect when I arrived, I did try to knock all the pre-conceptions on the head before I left and I am glad I did because I was not disappointed, cycling through the Chinese countryside with stunning scenery just made all the pain worthwhile. ”

“One of my favourite moments was cycling downhill through the mountains on Day 3, we were going at such a speed even the support vehicle had trouble keeping up. On Day 4 we got to walk on The Great Wall. It s enormous, you don t appreciate the
scale of it until you are actually standing on it and the views were incredible. Another would be the day we had sight seeing in Beijing before we came home. We visited Tian An Men Square, The Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, all fascinating and Chris our guide was fantastic at telling us all about the history and culture. ”

“On Day 3, we had three large climbs and the first two were very close together, nearly 3000ft over 13 miles and it made me cry. The group had split out, I was on my own, and I think I just hit a wall. I didn t know how much further it was to the top but couldn t stop as I was clipped in, I would ve hit the deck. So I blubbed like a baby, until I saw the support vehicle, then I blubbed even more from relief! Day 5 was terrible from the start as it was snowing. We got completely drenched on the highway by all the lorries passing us and then we went the wrong way and had to be turned back adding a few extra miles on. After 60 miles we hit a dirt track with unfinished road surface, which was awful. My legs were tired and we cycled over this terrain for about 12 miles. It completely knocked the stuffing out of me and this had to be the lowest point of the entire week. I have since realised I have a passion for road cycling and hate mountain biking, although I have great respect for anyone that does it! “

“The weather was disappointing! We were told it was the coldest spring they had experienced in decades. The first few days weren t too bad and the sun was very pleasant at around 20 degrees but by Friday the temperature had dropped and we had snow for two hours while cycling. ”

“The difference between cycling long distances over here to there is the terrain, it s very hilly. The climb on Day 3 was like Fernhill in Tockington, but 12 miles long! It was also quite difficult cycling that distance on a mountain bike with nobbly tyres. It makes you a lot slower and requires much more effort. The scenery is very different, it was stunning, you re so high up at some points, and it s utterly breathtaking. ”

“The longest day was Day 5, we were out all day, 72 miles in total, getting in to our lodge at 7pm that evening and absolutely
spent…definitely no energy left, not even enough to want to eat. ”

On completing the challenge, Jo said she was elated that she finished, but wanted to keep on cycling! We asked her if she would do it again and her reply …. “Oh yes! ” “I would love to thank everyone who has taken the time to sponsor me and support me throughout the past year, especially my long suffering partner Paul, my daughter Kaitlyn and the Stokes Cycling Club who helped immensely with my training. Everyone has been so generous. ”

When we spoke Jo had raised £4576.67 with one more collection which she hoped would bring her close to her £5K target. If you would like to help Jo reach her target visit www.justgiving.com/jos-cyclechallenge.

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