Magnificent motorsport memorabilia........

When one journey comes to an end another begins. This amazing journey from one cold February morning earlier this year thinking 'I'm going to learn how to ride an off-road bike and ride it somewhere interesting ', to now has been quite incredible.

To date we've raised almost £8,000 and the final furlong, as it were, is auctioning the quite fabulous and unique piece of motorsport memorabilia and history. The shirt bit.ly/nKiLRu been signed by; Valentino Rossi, nine Grand Prix World Championships and multiple MotoGP World Championship title holder, Jorge Lorenzo, 2006 & 2007 250cc World Champion, 2010 Moto GP World Champion, James Toseland, 2004 & 2007 World Superbike Champion - he retired last month due to a wrist injury,

Cal Crutchlow, British Supersport champion and British Superbike race winner, and the 2009 Supersport World Champion, Danny Webb, 125cc World Championship multiple title holder, Leon Haslam, British Superbikes, World superbikes, Ian Hutchinson, TT racer, Jonathan Rea, World Superbike racer, Keith Amor, TT legend, David Johnson, British Superbikes , James Whitham,TT Superbike champion, British Superbike Champion Supercup and the ACU TT British Superbike Champion, John McGuinness, TT legend, Neil Hodgson, British Superbike and World Superbike Champion & Ian Lougher, 9 victories in the North West 200, 10 wins at the Isle of Man TT Races and 42 wins at the Southern 100 Races and all the signatures were gathered by Steve Parrish. What an awesome collection.

Some say a journey is best measured by the new friends and people one meets.

Many have been asking what the next challenge will be, there were a number of answers to that a fortnight ago!

A seasoned off-roader who competes regularly and is awesome on a bike, called me last week. He's done the trip. He said 'Congratulations and well done! What were you thinking (I don't think I was), that was a truly epic challenge for such a beginner. Good on you for coming back in one piece'. I'm still surprising myself now thinking back to some of the terrain I covered on a dirtbike! Wouldn't have missed it for the world and the guys were all fantastic and very supportive and encouraging but crikey I didn't know what I didn't know ......... But I do now......!

Thank you, Merci and Grazie to so many people;

Donna Gray for getting me on the bike, in the right kit and starting off my very tentative learning experience, Martin Wittering, mechanic extraordinaire along with buckets of constant moral support and encouragement, Gary Faillettaz for his consistent unfailing encouragement, tuition and so, so very much patience and picking my bike up more times than should be allowed, team-mate fantastico, Steve Parrish for the fabulous signed shirt, books and WSB passes, Michelle Hunter for hosting the auction at the wonderful Queen Adelaide, John Kettley - without whom for sure this journey would never have really begun! Jim Gale for the brilliant graphics and plastics, Tamsin Jones for training, moral support and hugely boosting my confidence, Liz Rhodes at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire for constant encouragement, Nigel Wheatley and Michele Maddocks of Enduroland, Ed Blum, film director, Charley Boorman for tweeting, FB 'ing ( in fact getting me on FB), signing a book for the auction, Ross Noble for an auction prize and for making me laugh and keeping me human in Wales, Billy Ward for making these aforementioned things happen and for suggesting more training, not to mention making me smile on numerous occasions when I really needed to, Tim McEwan, auctioneer of the mostest, Ian Glover of Bloodhound SSC, Nigel Harrison, Jayne Perks, Jeremy Goring of the Goring Hotel, Sue & Andy Banham of Taylard House, Chris Evans (thanks as well as singlehandedly almost completely putting me off bikes forever!) and Cyril Despres, Graham Banks of GB Racing for so much, Sally Saunders of Esse (support and keeping me vaguely feminine), Jacquie and Matt of The Wendy House, Janine Wood of SLP, Tessa Roberts of Ocean One, Christian Malissard of Eagle Perf, Angela Dawson of Dawson VA Services, Dave Newman of SupremeBeing, Irene Routh-Jones for moral support, lovely friend Rachael for getting me packed and lovely texts when I was in the Pyrenees, dear friends Paul and Ailsa for airport runs, Caroline Faillettaz for huge support, my parents for looking after the girls, my fabulous friend Wendy for so much moral support and my gorgeous sister Elly who was particularly brilliant when I was finding it harder than hard, Mr T for so much and so much more and my beautiful girls. And of course to so many generous family and friends who gave donations, kind words and huge support, thank you, thank you, thank you, merci, merci, merci, grazie, grazie, grazie.

As for the next challenge..........Andalucia and Africa in my sights and perhaps a rally. Watch this space.......

The expression goes.......

......that if one waits until one is ready for something, the readiness never comes. So, with that in mind, bring it on! I'm ready enough. 12 days to go, the bike's ready, mousses fitted, roadbook 'thingy' fitted, went on a wee shopping spree this afternoon for jerry cans, metal putty (cold chemical weld I'm told - not that I have any idea what to do with it!!) and enough zip ties to go around the world twice.

The bikes are being trucked to France in the next day or two, so when a window of opportunity appeared today for a practice I took it! It was also at the precise moment that the heavens opened on Cambridesghire - real Welsh rain it was!

My little Honda is on top form, Martin at TorqueRacing has worked his magic, the forks are 'lovely' (technical term), a lowering link on the back and a couple of bar risers. Perfick! Martin's the man.

The CRF 250 isn't as torquey as the 400, still need to work on my throttle control on set off, wheel span just the once - oop!

Had a fabulous outing, one of those 'big smile in the helmet' jobs. It was very slippery and I just love big puddles, they're as irresistible as dark chocolate! Played 'chicken' with a few young pheasants or maybe it was 'pheasant'! Had a major wobbly skid and just averted a spill - tee hee! I was absolutely soaked to the skin when I returned - not one item was dry. Jet -washed the bike, it was very satisfyingly grubby!

Very excitingly, we've raised a current total of £6207 for GOSH and KidsCo, the target is near! Thanks very, very much to everyone who has so generously donated, it means such a lot and personally has been such an incentive when the going's got tough (and that's been quite a lot of times!!) and to our wonderful sponsors; GBRacing, TorqueRacing, The Wendy House, Esse, Ocean One, SLP, ZeroNine, SupremeBeing, Eagle Performance, Dawson VAServices and my No. 1 trainer Donna Gray.

I'm wearing a rather lovely shirt tonight (bear with?!) which has been signed by Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, James Toseland amongst other notable legends of MotoGP, TT, WSB & BSB - hoping some expertise will rub off!! Kindly donated by Steve Parrish and it's going up for auction soon - watch this space.....

Lust and glitter........

I was thrilled to be asked to be a guestblogger this week on the

Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital blog http://greatormondstreethospitalcharity.wordpress.com/ - another first!

Lusting after the paint job (honest?!) on the Triumph Speed Triple that Ross Noble rode from one tip of the UK to t'other for Riders for Health, I was delighted to hear that Esse, one of our fabulous supporters of the challenge, offer glorious glittery Shellac nails. Perfect for bikers! Especially those lusting after.......

On more important matters, since my tuition with Gary at the weekend, I've been on the bike every day since - a record. On Mr T's bike to be precise. It still phases me a tad mostly because it's heavy, a 400EXC 4 stroke. Possibly also because it's a bit grotchety when first out of the garage and not yet warmed up - bit like me in the morning! However, it's all practice and if I can manoeuvre that particular beasty in a figure of eight, the GasGas should be easy, apart from the blipping the throttle bit, which you don't really need to do on the 4 stroke.

From all this slow work on heavy bike I'm developing all sorts of muscles in my legs and boy my stomach muscles ached yesterday.

I've practiced all the techniques that Gary shared; ascents, descents, lots of figures of eight and little right hand circles (yeuk - not good at them) got some air again of the top of the hill- teehee. I was enjoying it too, even if the thumping in my heart indicated otherwise once or twice.

Then as an extra boost, albeit unplanned, a couple of eejits had somehow managed to get their car (what it was doing on the byway I have no idea) stuck on something and was blocking the way rather. In fact it wasn't blocking the way, it was blocking my way, my usual route that is! So, on heavy bike I went through a little gap with a big lumpy bit in the middle, a concrete slab, a muddy puddle and a thorny bush and aforementioned car to my right. A scenario that would ordinarily have rendered a stop on my part and help from one of the boys or another way to go. Either way, a mishap would potentially have been expensive. As Mick Andrews said in a trials video (vintage technology) that we've borrowed from Gary, it's often all in the head, the difference between a successful manoeuvre and one less so.

I did it!

There's hope for the old girl yet or perhaps it was just a spot of fairy magic from my glittery biker nails. Positive psychology! Whatever works eh....!

Big boys don't cry........

.........though to be fair I didn't cry as much as explete on Saturday, though if I'm honest it was probably both!?! Transpires my moment of 'exasperation', shall we say, is on YouTube - if you want to see it though, I'll leave that up to you to find it!

So, I took one of the big boys bikes out - one of the KTMs!

This week has been all about getting my confidence back and it is still somewhat lost.....!? My bike is 'at the salon' ! Having new white plastics and all the logos put on - very exciting and what a top collection of logos; Torque Racing, Esse Retail & Spa, GB Racing, Ocean One Boutiques, The Wendy House, Werx, Supreme Being, The Queen Adelaide, Special Little People, Enduroland, Dawson VA Services, Eagle Performance and of course GOSH and KidsCo. Then the little GasGas is off to Martin at TorqueRacing for a new clutch. By all accounts, my hydraulic cylinder isn't playing ball and my basket is still not quite up to standard - and that's the extent of my knowledge!!

Since the debacle on Saturday I've been out practicing nearly every day and am at least feeling much better about 'ups' and 'downs'. On Wednesday, it rained and hailed here - so to say my back end was squirming would be an understatement, however I didn't fall off or drop it so that must be progress! And the big boys bikes - smooth, responsive, took the hairy bits in their stride, coped expertly with both my tentativeness, panic and over-exuberance (if inadvertent) - are we talking bikes or the boys.....?!!!? Hmmm.....

Practice as if you were the worst, perform as if you were the best............ here we go!

Is a pert bottom a pre-requisite?

This week I haven't done as much practice as my training schedule says I should have! Oop! Two steps forward...... However on Sunday - Mother's Day - whilst not out riding - was enjoying lots of lovely R&R with the girls and family, whilst not exercise, must be a good compliment to training!

Consumed rather a lot of chocolate though, so training this week required for more reasons that one.

Now whilst I wasn't training on the GasGas last week, I did do a Lotte Berke session at Esse with Karen Taylor. I decided some time back that some overall fitness and stamina/ endurance would be necessary if I'm to have any chance of keeping up in the Pyrenees. So, Lotte Berke for those of you not familiar with it, is a combination of ballet/ modern dance, yoga and physiotherapy designed to help one achieve a lean, supple and toned body along with a 'pert bottom' I'm led to believe! The session was an hour long and I must admit that after 10 minutes I was beginning to wonder if I'd last the next 10 minutes! I did ache rather the following morning!

As some of you know of course, the boys, including Mr T did his bit for Comic Relief and the opening of the new scrumptious studio at Esse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV6nDPn3SFY if you fancy a giggle and a Lotte Berke taster??!!?

So, on with the serious stuff. I'm going on a trail ride this week and am also going to an Enduro Event (my first ever) with my bike on Saturday - eek!

And if the pleasant added extra is a 'pert bottom' too, that's okay with me!