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For our third year, the grannies started to get more ambitious and took to frocking on and spreading themselves all over the country!
We cycled 1000 miles from John O'Groats to Lands' End during a
very wet August and then from Coast to Coast in the middle of
the winter.
We also ran our first Jungfrau Mountain Marathon in the Swiss
Alps.
And of course we rode the glorious annual Manchester to Blackpool bike
ride...
Scroll
down to find out more about the grannies in 2004!!
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Christmas
2004:
The
Christmas Coast to Coast
140
miles, on bikes, off road, in frocks, in the middle of winter!
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What
better way to work up an appetite for Christmas lunch than
to cycle all the way across the country in the middle of
winter.
Eight brave elderly ladies wrapped up warm in their thickest
stockings to tackle 140 miles.
Just 3 days to get from the Irish sea to the North sea.
The only problem was the snow, the ice, the hills and the
shortest day of the year!
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December
2004:
Big Fat Cheque Presentation
It was a chilly winters evening at the
Christie Hospital when the perky pensioners from Go Granny Go arrived to discuss cake decoration and knitting patterns.
We also think they are rather wonderful,
so we gave them a big cheque for £7,077!
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December
2004:
Annual Grannual Meeting
Deck your bike with bells and holly!!
In fact why not add tinsel, baubles, lights and a christmas tree...?
The grannies found another excuse to sample the local
mulled wine and sherry whilst wearing festive attire.
Rumour has it we even be rode our bikes...!!!
click
on the image above for more pictures of this ride
September 2004:
Jungfrau Mountain Marathon
The hills are alive with the sound of grand-sons |
The 12th Jungfrau Marathon was held on 11 September 2004, with
4000 runners from 39 nations on all five continents.
Of course none of them were expecting five elderly 'ladies' to be competing with them.
The 26 mile course gently climbed towards the foot of the Jungfrau in the beautiful Swiss Alps, then took our brave grannies straight up to a maximum altitude of 2205 metres above sea level. |
The air at that altitude was even thinner than Evie Riders hair...
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August 2004:
John
O'Groats to Lands End
Nearly
1000 miles in fifteen days wearing frocks!!
My
little Dickie always said we did things the wrong way
round, but that's another story...
But riding our lovely push bikes from north to south means
it's downhill all the way.
(and
at our age we should know what we're talking about)
During the wettest August in living memory,
five intrepid geriatrics wobbled the entire length of
the country, haranguing passers by, shedding rollers and
hairpins and getting wrinkled stockings caught in bike
chains...
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July 2004:
Manchester to Blackpool 2004
The third grannual slow bike race to the seaside attracted about 30 old dears for a day out from the Go Granny Go residential home...
"It was sunny Sunday morning. I haven't
got up this early since my liaisons with Ernie the milkman some
while ago now.
We were off for our annual outing to Blackpool, only, like last
year, and the year before, nobody told me we had to cycle there!.
Still, just as well I had my friends bicycle with me at 5 o'clock
of the morning wasn't it?
Her bikes a bit small, readers, and so it's a bit of an effort to
ride, especially as its heavier than Ernie, and he was a biggun.
The bus collected us, and took us off to Manchester, where 2500
odd other cyclists were there to greet us. How nice! We were in
such marvellous company, there was even a man in a yellow suit talking
into one of those electric microphone thingys.
We were off. No, not in smell, that was later. Just we got going.
With a cry of "Lets get ready
to (g)rumble".
Flashing through towns and villages (well
I didn't flash, but Evie Rider did) and stopping at refreshments,
along the way, we managed to spy Blackpool in a record 8 and three
quarter hours. Yipee!
Time to be picked up by Les our driver (a lovely man) and ride on
the Big One.
Oh Yes!! What a thrill! Not only was I sore from the ride to Blackpool,
but now my ticker skipped a beat at the Big One! Gosh.
So, with a lovely day in the summer on my bike and with 30 of my
oldest chums, we did it again readers. We rode for the sea!!"
Emma
Rhoids xxx
click
on the image below for more pictures of this ride
Summer 2004:
Grannies in Training
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With a gruelling year filled with extreme tea drinking,
it was important for Go Granny Go team members to practice
like pensioners.
Much of the early excursions involved frock testing and
the innovative use of head scarves.
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click on the image above for more pictures of this ride |
But it soon become clear that some old ladies should be more committed than others.
Committed that is, to a lunatic asylum...
Have
a look at the COMING SOON
page to see what we're getting up to next...
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