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.......

Thrust(SSC) and delight!

Charley Boorman twittered and FB's about the challenge at the weekend which was so fantastic. Especially considering that Charley is currently on the Extreme Frontiers trip through Canada and had a big convoy today; http://www.bigearth.com/extreme-frontiers/ Thanks Charley!

Pulled out of my drive this morning and car sounded like the proverbial bottom had fallen out of it, rather like I was dragging a metal bucket along underneath - oh cripes. Reversed it back in and thought I'll deal with that later.

A few moments later listened to a rather poignant pause for thought on Chris Evans, Radio 2 show - the analogy was life and golf (now I don't know anything about golf, I was once chastised for cantering on a horse across a course - in the rough - I didn't realise at the time - story for another day!). The "thought" was about taking the rough with the smooth and that change i.e developing one's golf technique was difficult however in order to develop and grow in life, change is absolutely essential.

I wholeheartedly believe that to be true, change is hard, humans don't generally like it however change can make the most incredible differences to one's life. Learning to ride a dirt bike, has been a mammoth change for me and continues to be - what a journey though and I've met and continue to meet some of the most passionate and inspiring people ever.

Shortly after the metal buckety noise, I received an email from Ian Glover of Bloodhound SSC - the team behind the challenge to break the land speed record at 1000mph. Wow! Really wow! http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/ - overcoming the impossible using science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I'm all for that - how awesome!

Richard Noble OBE , previous land speed record holder at 663 mph and programme manager for the 1000mph attempt AND Andy Green, the driver have signed a limited edition print for the auction in aid of GOSH and KidsCo this Saturday. Thanks Ian Glover, Richard Noble, Andy Green and the guys at Bloodhound SSC.

Do email me if you'd like to bid and can't be there.

5 days to go to the auction and counting ..... have a photographer for the evening too, lovely Elly Hanna who will capture all the excitement for us.

Practice was on the KTM this evening as the GasGas is with-out a clutch! Didn't break any land speed records however may have topped my own speed record - and all within the law and limits! I'm getting there......

The bit of rough (so to speak) for the day turned out to be a stone in between the splash guard and the disc brake - so a smooth, very exciting and humbling day altogether!

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!

The boys are back in town............well in a village , Croydon, leafy Cambs....

Whoop de doo! Another one of those awesome days today when I had to stop myself running round skipping with joy, which would have been a tad embarrassing for all around.

Mr T on the lovely old Triumph Trophy 650 (with high pipes - important apparently?!) and me on my trusty GasGas took a spin up to the lovely Queen Adelaide, owned by the lovely Michelle Hunter in Croydon, Cambs.

Felt a bit like 'bunking off school' .........on a Wednesday lunchtime but as excuses go......

The reason, Ross Noble's Sit Down Tour - to commemorate the 500,000th Triumph, a Speed Triple - beautiful it is too. Nice paint job, look good on my nails I think?! Even more exciting, at the end of this phenomenal trip the bike is set to be auctioned at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on the 1st July - all proceeds going to Riders for Health, a fantastic charity that provides vital motorbike transport for medics to reach otherwise inaccessible parts of rural Africa. Very humbling....

When we arrived at said Queen Adelaide, it was slightly later than intended. I wanted to arrive early (park bike up, allow for private spills on gravel etc) - that wasn't to be. We arrived and I spied Billy Ward first (not that we'd met before), I recognised him from photos, then I spotted Ross Noble , then Steve Parrish .....only then, just about to have a hopeless OMG moment, I thought 'get a grip girl and focus otherwise you'll spill it in the gravel'. Not a good look from wherever you may be standing. As it happened I just had a rather heavy braking moment ....but... didn't fall off or drop it!!

We met Gary and Caroline at the pub. At home, I very , very nearly went with Caroline in the car and suggested Gary took a bike...?!

So, lunch at The Queen Adelaide, gorgeous looking bikes, all very petrol heady and I couldn't help but noticing, gorgeous looking blokes too, Caroline concurred!! And sunshine - what more could a girl want.....

Then Billy produced a copy of The Long Way Down signed by Charley Boorman to auction for our challenge......

Ross Noble signed one of our SupremeBeing Tshirts which are going to be overprinted with the charity logos and auctioned - did get a bit girly and starstruck then.....

Steve Parrish signed a SupremeBeing Tshirt and has also very kindly agreed to donate some MotoGP stuff for the auction which is fabulous... ditto girly and starstruck......

Then team Sit Down Tour went on their way - wonderful! Had one of those warm fuzzy moments watching them. Hence, potential skipping moment ensued.....

Confidence up a notch, no spills, one stall but I don' think anyone noticed (?!1?), wonderfully generous signings and stuff for the auction on the 30th July at The Queen Adelaide in Croydon, Cambs.

Look forward to seeing you there...