Thanks for visiting my page.

 

My name’s Ritch, a “forty something” firefighter , married to Christine, living with our two rescue dogs Mr Spencer & Miss Olive near Blackpool on the sunny Fylde Coast in Lancashire. 

   

I got the cycling bug at the age of 14, in the summer of 1985, whilst watching the Tour de France highlights on channel 4.  I recall being amazed by the superhuman feats of man and machine in the blazing summer sun; athletes at the very top of their game, swathed in brightly coloured lycra, drenched in sweat straining against the stunning backdrop of fields full of sunflowers and the breathtaking scenery of mountain passes.........that was it, I was hooked!

The highlights are still shown today albeit on a different channel.  Sadly, the music has changed, also sadly, the commentators haven't!! (my wife will testify to this!).

 

Aspirations of becoming a pro were short-lived after realising the real hardship and demands required to become 'serious' cycling elite.  To ride, however, in the wheel tracks of my heroes wasn’t to be so unattainable. 

My first racing bike, whilst not quite a Penny Farthing, is a very distant relative to the ultra-lightweight full carbon fibre machine I'm lucky enough to ride now.  My first long distance rides were Sunday club runs as a junior with Rossendale Road Club but since then I have made several trips to the Alps & Pyrenees to follow the Tour de France and have ridden (at a snail’s pace) many of the iconic mountain passes including L'Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux where the battle for the yellow jersey continues to be played out.

 

Another of my favourite races is Paris ~ Roubaix. I had always dreamed of tackling the infamous pavé (cobbles) having watched the race on Eurosport and read stories of how brutal and punishing this race really is!  Following more than a year’s training and preparation, including riding the Manchester 100 mile sportive, I'm very proud to say this was something I achieved in April 2015.

Upon finishing, a friend of Chriss asked where she could donate to acknowledge my efforts.  Our response, somewhat lamely, was that I had done it for myself and wasn't riding for charity!

 

Thereupon the idea was born to raise a few sheckles for the charities that were involved in the rescue of our Spanish hunting dogs and also to raise awareness of the plight of Galgos and Podencos; such beautiful, loving, gentle creatures, that actually make great pets and companions. 

 

Take a look at a few pics of my previous adventures in my gallery