Nomads on Tour 2006

A few of the nomads have been around and about and here is what has happened.

Firstly we have Shane who when to Salou and found this interesting statue.  Now this does look a little suspicious and of course it had to be Shane who found it!  Answers on a postcard to the usual address on what you think the man is doing under the sheet.

Secondly, Luke and Ozzy Steve went to France on a charity bike ride for Keech Cottage.  The team including the official sponsors (Whitbread) contribution raised ~ £28,546 between them.  Well done Lads and the rest of the team.  Here is Steve O's account plus a few pictures to tell the tale.....

As you know myself and young Luke rode our bikes from Paris to Luton raising money for Keech Cottage. The lead up to the event involved many training sessions, I kept a diary of the training, the following is an extract from training diary ISSUE 2

"Leading up to the ride Luke, an experienced runner, hadn't chalked up many miles on the bike, as a result early in the piece he developed a serious case of SAS* (sweaty arse syndrome) which,  left unattended, can only lead to one thing, chafing! Soft legs and a cheap seat cover purchased in Portugal combined to give Luke one of the most uncomfortable rides he had ever endured. Shared with the thought that he was first in line to keep wicket the following day in the Crawley Green Nomads CC first eleven, he was showing signs of a traumatised man.

After around half an hour's break Dominic got the team moving, Luke the only rider hesitant to get back on the saddle. With full stomachs (some of us more then others) we hit the road; automatically I noticed the signs of distress on Luke's face. Aware of his pain and not wanting to give Luke a reason to pull out I hung back with him and did my best to take his mind off his red, chafing crotch. We approached team member Dan to ask what his thoughts were on Luke's unfortunate experience. "I can both sympathise with and relate to Luke's painful experience - the only short term answer is a particular product called "Metanium" (great for nappy rash). I remember the days when the effort of a bike ride was directly proportional to the amount of blood that stained my shorts at the end (now there's commitment for you!). The answers for me are now simple - a good pair of padded shorts and a decent saddle. Chafing for me was becoming a distant memory, until I saw the telltale look on Luke's face on Saturday as he attempted to keep his backside off the saddle." There you go Luke'o, I hope you have learnt your lesson and have a healthy stock of Metanium in the medicine cabinet. A few hundred yards before Chalton and five miles before the end, Whitbread Court, Luke was showing serious signs of distress; at this point he was doing more damage then good. Retiring for the day was the only option; with his tale between his legs Luke slowly made his way to a pub a few hundred yards up the road. The remaining members of the group successfully finished the ride at Whitbread Court, with fantastic weather, no punctures, and only one casualty, spirits were at an all time high. As planned, I drove back to Chalton to pick up Luke and pinch a lift home for my troubles. I believe during his walk back to the pub he ran into a local gang of homosexuals. Luke was walking in such a way that he looked like he had recently passed out in a prone position in the Blue Oyster Bar as a result the fancy boys took a liking to him. Fortunately for Luke he had damaged himself to the point where blood was streaming down his leg, his new friends decided they would prefer fresh meat, gave him their number and left him in peace to continue his journey back to the pub."