VIKING WAY CHALLENGE - submitted by Stan Harding

The name ‘Viking Way Challenge’ fuel s the imagination.

However, the Viking Challenge is a cross country bike ride following the route of the old Viking Way, that is, so far as is possible. Redmile School in the Vale of Belvoir started the challenge 12/13 years ago to raise funds for the school and it has become so successful/popular that they now share it on a 50/50 basis with some national charities; this year it was again the turn of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The length of the main route is 50km while the length of the short route is 30km. The start and finish is at Redmile School and there are 34 marshalling points, five of them being suitably spaced refreshment stops for those requiring sustenance. As we all know, mobile phone reception can be patchy, RAYNET therefore provide an additional communication link around the course and back at the school by means of radio, in addition there is a roving Marshall to help sort out any problems which may arise.

Together with my wife, daughter and grand daughter, not forgetting good friends and wet weather clothing, on October 5th this year we again marshalled for what was to prove the muddiest ‘challenge’ yet held. The brakes on some bike models collect mud and other debris more so than other bikes, this often results in the rider having to carry his bike because the wheels become blocked to such an extent that they will not rotate, it is then easier/quicker to walk and so stay with friends or your team than to be constantly clearing the brakes. Once clear of the bad stretches then the ‘de-cokes’ can be effected, or hosed down at some check points. Despite these hindrances, in 2006, another muddy year, the fastest rider completed the 50km course in 2 hours 12 minutes.

Over 1,000 took part in 2008, 822 registering before the day at £15-00 per head and approx. 200 on the day at £25-00 per head. Quite a few of the participants were in fancy dress, Batman, Vikings, Belles of St. Trinian’s etc. . Most, if not all, are sponsored and the sponsor money is still being collected and paid in up until the end of December. The share to Cystic Fibrosis will be well in excess of £10,000-00, however, no firm figures will be available until after the New Year holiday. In spite of this, Andy Shields the Regional Fund Raising Manager states, “volunteering to help out for the Viking Challenge is as good as donating £300-00 to the C F Trust”

Did you know that the Cystic Fibrosis Trust is the UK’s only national charity dealing with all aspects of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). It funds research to treat and cure CF and aims to ensure appropriate clinical care and support for people with Cystic Fibrosis. Three quarters of the Trust’s income is being used to finance a national programme of Gene Therapy Research aimed at eliminating the life threatening aspect of CF. This year, 2008, sees the selection of fifteen young people to take part in the clinical trials of gene therapy, this will take place at The Brompton in London. There are 8,000 babies, children and young adults with Cystic Fibrosis in the UK.

I thought that Cystic Fibrosis was a disease which affected coal miners, until May of 2000 that is. I now know that you are born with it and that so many of them do not live long enough to start work, let alone go down the pit. PS: We wore our “Notts Freemasons Serving The Community” High Vis. Vests, albeit in an adjacent county.

Stan Harding.

Footote from Stan: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common life-threatening inherited disease. Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a single defective gene. As a result, the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, become clogged with thick sticky mucus resulting in chronic infections and inflammation in the lungs and difficulty in digesting food.

Each week five babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis and three young people die – 90% from lung damage. Average life expectancy is just 31, although improvements in treatments mean a baby born today is expected to live longer. These improvements have, in the main, been achieved through the CF Trust and the CF community.