#massivefail

Pull up my blog and it’s the first thing you see: “To bike or not to bike – that is not a question”. Funny, apt when starting out – a mantra to gear myself up to cycles in the pouring rain; a focus on lazy weekend mornings preparing to cycle over a previously unfathomable distance.

Funny, until it became ironic… until it became a real question.

Because the “cycling claw” turned out to be more than a little cramp: it was a symptom of nerve damage – one of a few. And the sad thing about nerves is that they take a LONG time to heal.

That said, being young does give me an edge. So, a couple of weeks after the injury, I can straighten my fingers, I can type, I can just about braid my own hair (an essential feature of caring for a natural ‘fro – shout out to my hero brother who stepped up to the plate as my stylist! <3). But it’s not long before I start to feel pain/ weird tingles, and I still have weakness in my hand an arm. I wouldn’t be able to change gear with this hand.

So it is with regret, and on the advice of my GP and physiotherapist, that I am deferring my challenge so I can give my hand time to heal ☹

What does this mean?

I will still be cycling from London to Paris, but in several weeks from now rather than one. Thrombosis UK have already gratefully received all of your generous donations and will continue to directly receive any sponsorship you put towards this challenge until I complete it next year. But to sponsor me you will now need to use this site: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/angecyclesl2p

The revised date is TBC because the event company I would have been cycling with has charged a hefty ‘cancellation fee’, and so I will now be doing a self-organised cycle with a little help from a friend I have cajoled into committing to cycle with me (with hopefully more to follow!) and this nifty website: http://london2paris.co.uk/

I am currently suffering from cycling-withdrawal, and a joyous blog post awaits the day I can get back in the saddle!

I will of course keep you posted – and please feel free to send me any questions (and messages of support!) via the ‘ask me anything’ feature here on my tumblr or the charity’s email address: [email protected]

Many thanks for your ongoing support – it means the world!