Cycled to West Ham

Following on from last weeks post about cycling to West Ham to complete the 92 grounds.
Well I did it. Here is my blog on the journey.
I was up at 3 and out of my house at just after 4. I actually set off from my home in Coalville at 4.06am, I got on to the A5 near Hinckley in an hour and the next hour was hard work, plenty of hills to climb, it started to get light as I passed Rugby and on to Milton Keynes, not before deciding to walk up a large climb that seemed to go on forever, MK was about half way where I got a puncture. Here I had a small break and put a spare inner tube in my rear wheel. I carried on through Dunstable and to the end of the A5, Junction 9 of the M1. I ventured towards St Albans and down to London Colney. here I received my 2nd puncture.Luckily i carried two spare inner tubes. so another one was changed and I carried on.
I decided to walk around the M25 roundabout near London Colney, snd here i took my first wrong turn and recovered by taking the A1 down to the North Circular Road. I took another wrong at this junction and ended up in Finchley, Using the sat nav on my phone I got back on the North Circular and turned down the A10 towards Walthamstow where a motorist decided he wanted to turn left as i was at his side, Lord knows how I avoided the impact. bit i did and carried on to get lost again in Walthamstow, with the help of the sat nav again i carried on past Leyton Orients ground and to the Queen Elizabeth Park and to the Stadium. As i did my last 'facebook live' video update my phone died.
I completed the 187 km journey in just under 9 1/2 hours, but actual cycling time was 8 hr 16 minutes.
So far we have raised £1100 and let's keep it coming for the Alzheimer's Society.
And obviously seeing our first away win of the season was a bonus.

I did this challenge for many reasons
* My mother has been diagnosed with Dementia, and so to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer's Society
* For my own self belief, which has been very low lately (as my close friends know)
* To celebrate completing all 92 Football League Grounds.
* To test myself to see if and how I would cope with cycling over 100 miles in one day.
In July I am participating in a London to Paris cycle challenge for the Alzheimer's Society. this will be 328 miles over 4 days.

Thank you to everybody who helped me and sponsored me in doing this.
and a big thank you to Measham Fox and the Ashby and Coalville branch of the LCFC supporters club who bought me and my bike back home for me
My Just Giving page will remain open until after Paris in July.
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Steve-Munton

My final say on this is West Ham United FC would not even give me anywhere to have a wash and change when I got there. My son brought me a change of clothes and I had to change in the toilets inside the Stadium.

But what a day what an acheivement., Leicester won away too and I feel surprisingly good today not aching much at all !!