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)