Good Afternoon All,

Well here is the first blog since returning from The Ride for Reserach which I am happy to tell you was a great success. We returned to Eibergen on Saturday at 12 O'clock and our friends were there to welcome us back. There was a police escort, which was a big surprise for us all. When I first saw the police car I wondered what I had done wrong but as soon as I saw the driver of the vehicle step out in cowboy boots I knew that they belonged to Leonie a good friend of ours so I breathed a sigh of relief and we cycled through town towards the finish line.

At the finish line we were welcomed in with two bottles of champagne, one of which went down our necks and the other was shaken and went into the air and all over those that were too close. We were all very touched by the welcome home and I must admit I had a tear in my eye.

I would like to thank all those that had made the effort to welcome us back in and especially Gerdi Oonk for having gone to so much effort to arrange everything. It was a lovely way to finish and it made for a very special moment.

This post is short because I still have lots to do today but I promise to write a lot more later tonight or tomorrow and I will also be posting all our photos and films a.s.a.p.

Once again thanks to everyone for supporting us and in case you were wondering, the bank account and online donation module will still be open for quite some while so if you haven't donated yet but still wish to do so, then there is still time.

Best wishes to All

Matt :)

Good Afternoon All,

As I write, Lou is making a cup of tea, Libby and Jim are playing Yatzee and the rain is pouring down outside the tent. In the last few days since I blogged we have been to Moddergat (Dirt City), Minsingweer where we stayed at t'Hoogland natuur camping, Noordlaren where we enjoyed a super bed and breakfast thanks to the hospitality of the family Kruise en Westdorp where we are now enjoying the rain.

Our ride has taken us through some beautiful countryside, we have seen sheep along the edge of the North Sea, the flat landscape of Friesland which I was surprised at by it's beauty, we have seen Groningen City and Province where the people were extremely friendly, th erolling landscape of Drente and finally the Hunebedden in Borger.

We have been waved at, photos have been taken of us by passers by, cars have been tooting their horns and cyclists all seem to recognise us and shop keepers have been friendly (thanks Haddock). Not everything has been plain sailing though, a few days back we had a matress that was leeking but thanks to the kindness of our sponsor, Jongejans Trading, this problem was sorted out with a single phone call and we are now sorted for the home run.

One problem though that is still troubling us is that the camera card that stores all our photos is showing a fault so we hope we can salvage the photos, otherwise I will be flying to China to give the manufacturer a piece of my mind. Oh well the memories are engrained on our minds and we still have some good video clips.

Well I am signing off for now because we still have a big ride in front of us and it is getting late, the wind is against us and it is raining and we still have to pack our gear so I am going to love you and leave you to send Lou out in the rain whilst I put my waterproof clothing on and help her myself.

I will tell you some more next time, untill then take it easy and be good.

Matt

Good Morning All,

Well today is the first day of rain we have had so far and we are here in the North of the land in a little place called Sint Jacobiparochie on the Camping t'Kaatsgat. The first thing that struck us when we got here was the silence, it is so peaceful, I already look forward to returning one day!!!

Since I last blogged we have seen a thing or two, we left Egmond aan de Hoef fairly late in the afternoon and cycled towards Petten where I had organised a trekkers hut for the evening but I had kept this as a secret from the rest. Firstly we cycled over the dunes which were steep in places but nothing too much to worry about, our only worries were the heat and water but we had plenty of both so this didn't cause any further problems. At the end of the dunes we found Bergen aan Zee which looked like a pretty layed back place and had a hippy feel to it. After Bergen aan Zee we cycled through the Schoorlse Downs which were easy going and not too difficult. Half way through the Downs there was a crystal clear pool where a father and his daughter were bathing in the cooling waters, we didn't disturb them but instead pushed on to Camperduin. The cycle path ran between two woods, one evergreen and the other diciduous.

After Camperduin we got onto the beach road and made good time, reaching Petten in what seemed like no time at all. At Petten we climbed to the top of the hill above the beach and free wheeled down into the town and headed on towards Sint Maartensvlotbrug where we stayed in the trekkers hut at Camping 't Ruige Veld which was a welcomed break for the team and it was nice just to be able to get in and relax without having to put up tents etc.

We awoke the next day after having slept well but I was suffering from a sort of flu and had a temperature. After consulting with the rest of the family we decided to make the effort to try and cycle to the next campsite at Den Oever because we really want to get round in time. After what for me was the hardest day's cycling so far we eventually arrived and I am sorry but I can't tell you much about how the day went because all I can remember about that day was that it cost me all my effort just to turn the pedals and as for the rest that is just a blur.

The next morning we awoke on time and eat a huge breakfast which seemed to help and after breakfast we got on the bikes once more and started the ride across the Afsluit Dijk. Jim had met a friend on the campsite the night before and he cycled some of the way with us so Jim was happy and I think they will stay in contact in the future. The crossing wasn't too windy although the wind was against us and we made it across in good time. When we road across it looked as if the road was going uphill all the way but this must be some sort of optical illussion because the road runs parallel to the sea. At the end of the Dijk we styaed in a little place called Gooium just south of Zurich on Camping Hilarides which was a typical farmers camping with plenty of space for each tent and nice and peaceful.

After our stay in Hilarides we headed further north towards Sint Jacobiparochie and the Camping where we are now (Camping t'Kaatsgat). If you enjoy peace and quiet and a clean and friendly campsite then I would strongly advise you to book in to Camping t'Kaatsgat, it is stunningly beatiful and like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the silence is deafening.

We are today heading up further to a small place called Moddergat, I hope to be able to tell you a little more about the ride next time I blog because I feel a little bit better now and hopefully I will remember a bit more about the next few days as I do the last. One thing I am a little worried about is my tyres, due to the hot weather and the amount I am towing, I have nearly taken the profile off both back tyres but Mike a friend of ours is bringing two over this evening so as long as I can get to Moddergat today then everything should be OK.

Signing off for now.

Matt

Good Afternoon All,

Well today I am sitting in the restaurant of Camping De Woudehoeve in Egmond aan de Hoef. It is a large campsite which has been taken over by Topparken, it is clean and well adapted for wheelchair access and has excellent facilities (well done Topparks).

We got here after leaving the Camping Schoonenberg in Velsen Zuid which was a natural camping in a beautiful setting and really good for families with kids that want to try the good life.

Our ride from Den Haag to Velsen Zuid was a late one and we ended up getting to the camping at 11 oçlock in the evening where we were greeted by Mike who showed us the way to our camping spot, I made some tea with Jimmy who was nearly asleep and Libby and Lou set up the tents in no time at all (thanks Lou I couldn't do this without you, you are the brightest star in my night sky). The ride was magnificent, we met a hungry fox whilst riding through the downs and we became friends. The fox ended up showing me complete trust and even took food from my hand which we were lucky enough to get on film so you will all be able to watch the footage online when I return. The rest of the ride was quite hard going up and down through the downs but we got there in one piece and very tired.

The next day after leaving Camping Schoonenberg we cycled to the pont and crossed to Velsen Noord and on to the Luchter Zeeduinen which were quite flat and easy cycling. We passed Castricum aan Zee and arrived in Egmond aan de Hoef in good time. After Lou had once more set up camp we relaxed with a nice cup of tea and my compulsory cigarette. We awoke this morning wet from sweat and I had to get out of the tent a.s.a.p before I melted and became a stick thin human.

We are now enjoying a toastie and a drink before we make a move to Petten (Camping 't Ruige Veld) which is only thirty kilometers up the road so it should be an easy cycle.

Before I forget I would like to thank a few people. Firstly I would like to thank my trainers, Frank van Aamersfoort from the Chariot in Eibergen for beating me into shape for the ride and phoning this morning, Thea Ammerlaan my acupuncturist for helping me with incontinence problems and improving the natural flow of my biorhythms etc. and Bert Vogel from the Eiberrun for my cycle programme which has worked perfectly. I would also like to thank all my sponsors for the articles and funding that they have put in. I won't link to them all here but alternatively you can surf the site and find the links yourselves. Thanks also to all friends that have supported us before and during this adventure and a special thankyou goes out to Paul and Leonie. it was a big surprise to see you turn up in Velsen Zuid and we really appreciated your visit, it meant a lot to all of us!!!

Good Morning All,

Well it has been a couple of days since I last blogged but it was down to the fact that the batteries on my cell phone had run out and also because we tried to use a computer in the hostel in Den Haag but the right click function had been disabled for security reasons, nevertheless we have now found a conection and I am ready to blog.

Since the last time I blogged we have crossed the Middelplaat by Grevelingen Meer, we have been through Goedereede which must be one of the most beautiful villages I have ever seen in my life, we crossed the Haringvlietsluis to Voorne where we stayed a night in Brielle on Camping De Meeuw and we have felt rain drops again (I counted at least 10 drops but Lou swears she felt a few more but not enough to warant waterproof clothing).

After our stay on Camping De Meeuw we headed further north towards Den Haag. We crossed over to Maasluis and cycled west along the Waterweg towards the Hoek van Holland, it was a mild culture shock after the beauty of the South / West and the traffic around the Hoek van Holland and Den Haag slowed us down somewhat but there was still plenty to see.

Our ride through Den Haag went well despite the traffic because we met a gentleman who lived in Den Haag and he kindly showed us the way to Central Station which was very close to the StayOkay City Hostel where we stayed the night. Our room at the StayOkay was sponsored to us at the last minute and I would like to compliment them on the Hostel, it was clean and tidy and the staff were really friendly, in my opinion it was one of the best hostels I have ever stayed in (thanks from us all, next time we come to Den Haag we will stay again.)

Whilst in Den Haag we met up with friends and went out for a meal, thanks Corinne. After the meal it was late and we went to bed and slept on a real mataress for the first time in two weeks.

The next day (Friday) we Ieft Den Haag at four O'clock after having looked around the city. We cycled to Scheveningen and joined the cycle path through the sand dunes, the path undulates all the way and I had great fun chasing four cyclists on racing bikes up some of the hills and I am pleased to say I gave them a good run for their money for the first few kilometers, not bad for an invalid towing 40kg and cycling on arm power, if I say so myself.

After the first sand dunes we reached Katwijk aan Zee where we took some photos and stopped for refreshments. We then cycled on towards Noordwijkerhout, we got there at 9O'clock and set up our tent on Camping De Noordwijkse Duinen. The camping is being renovated at present and it is looking really good, there are lots of toutists here enjoying the sun and the sea and the atmospheer is great. We are still here at the moment (4.15) because Lou is in town getting my front wheel fixed because I slipped the gears last night and buckeled my plastic chain guard, as soon as she returns we will be cycling onwards towards Velsen Zuid.

I am signing off for now and will catch up with you all later.

Look after yourselves, Matt

(Posted by Ilkka, on behalf of Matt! :-)

Good morning All,

Well we have cycled as far as Renesse (De Wijde Blik) now and we are still loving it. Yesterday was a really tough ride, we left Nieuwe en St. Joosland at about 4 oçlock in the afternoon and headed towards Neeltje Jans to make the crossing towards Renesse. We arrived in good time and climbed the hill at the foot of Neeltje Jans. We were the only ones that cycled to the top because everyone else was walking with their bikes, this gave us a great feeling and we certainly got some good looks from passers by.

The scenery was breath taking and it reminded Lou and I of the scenery back home and we said how nice it would be to live in that area. Middelburg we thought was beautiful and the houses there reminded us of Amsterdam.

The wind was strong and against us yesterday, the temperature was for Dutch standards a heat wave (36 degrees) but we are not going to let little things like that stand in our way because we are on a mission and we are determined to complete it whether it kills us or not!

I took a few photos yesterday on my telephone after I remembered that the damned thing had a basic camera function, the photos aren't great but this doesnt matter too much because I think they will be ok for the internet. I will try to see if I can post a few online but this could be a little tricky so I will wait untill I have some more time to complete this.

This post is a short one but we would like to make a fairly early start and make a move before it gets even hotter.

Best wishes to all and speak later

Matt

Good Morning All,

It is day 11 and we are on Camping 'de Merelhoeve' in Nieuwe en St. Joosland.

We are all ok but Libby was bitten by a horse fly two days ago and seems to have had an allergic reaction to it and may have to stop  riding for a couple of days. We are in the process of deciding what to do and will let you all know the outcome a.s.a.p.

Otherwise the ride is going well and we have now ridden more than 500km. The days have been hot and our water bottles are being refilled on a regular basis.

Jimmy has been a real trooper and has helped keep the moral high, his jokes make us all laugh and he never moans about anything. Lou has been my legs and her cooking skills are second to none, we ate a three course meal last night that she prepared on our trusty Trangia, I challenge anyone to beat that especially after a 55km ride in 35 degree heat towing 40kg and carrying another 20kg. As for me, I am doing fine so please don't worry yourselves, we may look as if we're hanging but this is the life we enjoy and it gives it a new dimension doing it with a spinal cord injury and I can now show that there really is life after a spinal cord injury and watch out because I am not prepared to stop untill I decide to.

The scenery on the ride has been magnificent and we saw the sea for the first time last night. We are going to buy a card for our video cameras soon as we can so we can take some still photos and of course we keep filming too. we didn't manage to take any photos on the first part of the ride but this is good because it gives us a good reason to go back and ride it again at a later stage. So if any of you want to come next time, let us know and perhaps we could cycle on mass.

I am off to get a shower now and after that we are heading towards Renesse, our route goes over Neeltje Jans which should be interesting. We will take photos and post them if and when we can.

Just before I go for my shower I would like to let you know that Libby seems ok again so she is going to give it a shot and cycle with us.

Bye for now

Matt

Hi All,

Well here we are on the morning of day 6 and we find ourselves on the Camping Molenpeel. The camping is shutting down today because the owner is terminally ill and about to die and we heard last night, from the owners wife, that they were going to shut the camping last week but because they knew we were coming with the Ride for Research, they kept the camping open specially so we had somewhere to stay.

When Lou and I heard this last night it we were both filled with emotion and we both had tears in our eyes. The lady on the camping said that she knew we were coming and also knew the ride was for a very good cause so felt it her duty to stay open, I feel it is now our duty and another reason to complete the ride and as a mark of respect I am going out to ride today with the owner of the camping in the forefront of my mind and I would very much like it if all of you that read this would think about this and join me at one O'clock for a one minute silence.

Yesterday evenings ride went very well. Jim and I rejoined our route, after a quick trip to Nijmegen yesterday, and cycled from Oijen to Neerkant which was a total of 55Km. The ride took us through some of the most beautiful countryside we have seen so far. On the first part there were roses everywhere and the smell was at times overpowering and the colours were quite incredible. After the roses we entered Venlo and crossed the Maas to start heading  west in the general direction of Middelburg. The ride was fast and Jim and I managed an average speed of just under 19km/hr. When we got in we eat pasta and brocolli   which Lou had prepared, it was really tasty and we wolfed it down in seconds.

Today we have a shorter ride, only 35 to 40km and we have an appointment in Asten with a reporter from the local newspaper and the local TV and radio so we will have to cycle in two sessions.

We will be stopping at Mierlo this evening and meeting up with two friends, Corinne and Hank, who are joining us for an evening meal. We are looking forward to talking to friends and we will share some of our experiences with them and hopefully Corinne will be able to log in to Invanet and tell you all some more in the forums.

I must dash for now because I have to get out of bed and get ready to ride.

Untill next time, take it easy and please remember to keep the silence at 1O'clock.
Matt

(published on behalf of Matt by Ilkka. Comments are free now)

Hi All,

Sorry that I haven't posted for a couple of days but I haven't had access to an internet connection and my telephone had poor signal.

I have nevertheless managed to cycle as far as Gun and I will be cycling through Venlo this evening and on to Neerkant where we will be staying at Camping De Molenpeel. Last night we stayed at Ooijen and the night before in Groesbeek at the Natuur Camping Groesbeek. The ride to Groesbeek was a good one, after the early session along the Pannerdensch Kanal and the Waal we hit Nijmegen and some hilly bits which were good to ride but didn't half make my arms ache, I could certainly feel them the next day. Yesterday after our stay in Groesbeek we rode to Ooijen, the first part of the ride was along the side of an old rail track and the stones from the track littered the cycle path and made it damned hard on a three wheeler but after about the first litter of sweat we reached tarmac. I was so happy to reach the hard surface I nearly kissed the ground, but the main thing was that I had made it through with Libby and Jim too.

The beautiful hard surface that I had nearly kissed son became a memory as the road torned to dust and gravel and our speed dropped to 4KM/hr. We slogged through and once the other side we picked up the pace and still managed an average speed for the day of 14KM/hr s we were pleased.

Today we had to go into Nijmegen for essentials and I am now sitting in the bus on our way to Ooijen where I will rejoin the route and head off in the direction of Venlo. I estimate a ride of 55 to 60Km this evening.

Sorry for the fairly uninteresting post, I can promise you the videos should really make you giggle but you will all have t wait untill I get back before you get to see them.

Bye for now
Matt
(published on behalf of Matt by Ilkka)

Good Morning Campers,

Well I hope you guys are enjoying reading the posts, we are certainly enjoying our days cycling. Today I am at the reception of the Camping de Waay, Aukje the daughter from the owner has kindly allowed me to tick on the keyboard to make the post. Thanks Aukje you are a star!!!

Yesterday was a really good day, Jim and I were the only ones riding because Libby had flu and a temperature so she decided to stay with Lou in the camper. We started the ride at Olburgen and cycled to the pont. After the pont we headed towards Dieren and on to the Postbank. The climb to the top of the Postbank went really well, Jim and I averaged 12km per hour to the top and rewarded ourselves with a lemon and strawberry ice cream. Whilst we were there we also got the video out and made some footage to prove we were there.

After our little rest we took the path towards Rozendaal and managed a top speed of 55km per hour, Jim has never been so fast and we both loved it. I managed to film the downhill run holding the video camera in one hand and the pedal and break in the other (don't worry Hanselman the video camera survived the run). At Rozendaal we stopped for a munch to eat and had a look round some gardens and again got the video camera out, I must admit I'm like a big kid with a new toy when I get the video out, it's great fun.

After our stop in Rozendaal we went on our way towards Arnhem and again hit a top speed of just over 50km per hour and nearly killed ourselves when we came round a corner and hit a big pile of sand in the cycle path but luckily we both managed to stay in control and hang on, a real white knuckel moment with a big grin afterwards.

It didn't take long to get to and through Arnhem. After Arnhem we stopped at the bridge over the Rijn where we met an American who was also touring on his bike and had a long chat. He was more than interested in what we were doing and told us he would follow the rest of the ride on the internet so if you read this, hi Al it was good meeting you and we hope the new job in Switzerland suits you and the kids behave themselves.

The last leg of our ride was along the Pannerdens Kanaal and into the camping at Doorenenburg. The camping has good facilities for invalids and is great for kids. One tip though, if you are ever going to stay there in a tent, be prepared the ground is like concrete so a hammer to bash in tent pegs is essential.

Libby and Jim made some new friends as soon as we arrived at the camping and they both headed off to a kids disco whilst the old man got a shower and headed off to bed. I slept really well untill this morning 5 o'clock when I awoke because I could feel the ground under my shoulder blades. I checked for pressure sores and I am pleased to say there weren't any so I can ride today without any worries.

I'm signing off for now and will either write in again tonite or tomorrow. Untill then, take it easy and enjoy the lovely whether because we certainly will !

P.S Photos to follow later.

Good morning All, it´s 10.21 the morning of the 9th July and I am sitting behind Janny and Tonny´s computer.  Janny en Tonny are the owners of ´t Hofke minicamping and B+B in Olburgen, a beautiful camping located on the edge of the IJssel.

I awoke this morning to a large rain storm clattering on the side of the camper but I am pleased to say that it looks like it has blown over. After lying there for a while I heard a bash against the side of the camper and on opening the door we found bread rolls for four and I can tell you this much, it was one of the best bread rolls I have tasted in a long time. I and the kids certainly needed the energy after the ride.

Yesterday morning went well, and everything went smoothly, one or two little hickups but nothing major and most importantly we got away on time. There was a good show of people to come and see us off and we had the support of good friends and I would like to take the oppertunity to thank you all for helping make it a success. The  ride itself went well and I feel that we have made a good start, both children kept going all the way and we cycled 62.98km from Eibergen to Olburgen. I myself cycled from Beltrum to Eibergen in the morning which added on an extra 9km to my total. I must admit though I was a little worried at one point during the ride when I looked at a sign post that showed Beltrum to be 6km, I had therefore ridden 37km to get just 6km away from where I had left off.

The rest of the ride went really smoothly and I only had to miss a very short piece of the route because I didn´t have money with me, which meant that I couldn´t take the ferry in Bronkhorst so instead had to come via Steenderen and on to Olburgen. I am not too worried about missing that piece out though because it means I will have to come back and cycle that bit one day, a good excuse because Bronkhorst is a lovely village and well worth the visit.

One thing that did disappoint me yesterday was that I didn´t have a camera with me so I didn´t manage to get any fotos on the way but when we arrived at the camping there was a reporter ready and waiting and we took some photos to accompany an article she is writing about the ride. Janny and Tonny had given Yvonne Baars from the Contact a tip that we were on the way and she chatted with me for a long time and took lots of notes for her article. I am pleased to say that she was very attent and asked me lots of questions so she had everything clear in her mind and she promised to write about the ride in a positive vein.

Well if I am not carefull I could be sitting here for hours ticking away at the keyboard so I will sign off for now but just before I do I would like to thank everyone that has helped make this project possible. You have all helped me reach a major milestone in my life and I hope a major milestone for spinal research. Thanks you ALL !!!

Well it,s 5:48 as I start this report, Lou is in the kitchen making me some of my favorite pasta and I'm in the bedroom trying to get the last few bits done on the site. The last few days have been exhausting, neither of us slept yesterday night because we were so busy sorting things out and Lou has still to sleep today but we have been through this type of thing so often, we aren't going to let it worry us but instead we see it as a part of the adventure.

When I first started putting the plan together a few months back, I didn't really know whether it would work here in Holland. Being English, I knew out of experience that this sort of personal challenge would go down well in the UK, the British public seem to love to watch people take on challenges and go over and above the call of duty, especially if it's done for charity, but how would the Dutch take it? 

Well the first person I told was Dr. Hank van de Meent, the specialist in charge of the Exoskelet project, and being an adventurous type himself he thought it was a great idea so that gave me hope and I am pleased to say that from that moment on I decided to give it my best shot. Others weren't so enthusiastic for the idea but I have learnt over the years that if you listen too much to people who try to put you off doing something, then if you're not careful, you could end up doing nothing at all.

I remember at school they always told us, It is better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all and it's a message that always stayed with me and I truely believe there's a message for everyone in there somewhere!

I won't write anymore for now but instead I will wait till this evening, bye for now

Matt