Day Two: Bath to Chipping Camden to Stratford-Upon-Avon
Dee:
“Well, what can I say – we left Bath in a convoy, looking absolutely amazing as we rode along. A couple of girls from a HOG chapter joined us, with the rest joining us in Chipping Camden, and so the saga begins…. Four of us (including me) took the wrong turn at a roundabout and completely lost course and direction and ended up well and truly lost. Personally, I had a blast, burning up the countryside, amazing scenery and people trying to point me in the right direction. All met up again eventually at a petrol station and got into Chipping Camden over an hour late. The rest of the HOG chapter was there to greet us along with 3 police motorcyclists from Warwickshire Bikesafe. Fantastic! After lunch we were escorted by the Bikesafe Police into Stratford Upon Avon for a photo opportunity at Shakespeare’s Birthplace. The highlight of the afternoon especially for me was seeing Megan and Meredith’s face. They had achieved another goal, seeing all the bikes parked up, again awesome, in front of Shakespeare’s joint. After completely terrorizing the shoppers and pedestrians in Stratford Town Centre, loads of photo opportunities later and we all depart. Going as we arrived, sirens blipping, blue lights flashing, and fifteen women astride motorcycles, grinning from ear to ear.” xx
Wendy:
“As above, but it wasn’t me who got lost, I just followed my leader!! Police escort was fantastic – yet another great day!” xx
Donna Handley (Sydney, Australia):
I wasn’t sure what to expect with the UK ride after a very exciting ride in California last year. From the moment I flew into London, it has been one wonderful experience after another. The girls on the ride have welcomed me with open hearts and I feel like I have known them all a lifetime already. They are amazing girls with amazing strength. I feel very close to them as they are very grounded girls full of life and energy. We are sharing some amazing experiences together, not only getting to know one another, but trusting each other and riding alongside each other. The sights are wonderful, I love it here. I love the UK countryside, it is just a wonderful place to ride a motorcycle through. This is surely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” xx
Jacqui:
“I felt very emotional yesterday – we were just about to leave the hotel and ride over to the Ace Café and officially start the ride. Emotions overwhelmed me as we got nearer – this is a fantastic experience for all of us. Breast Cancer survivors can ride big motorcycles and enjoy life! What a celebration it has been – the countryside is great, the humour and the strength of everyone in the group is amazing – I don’t want it to end! The police escort into Stratford was fantastic – again it was an enormous milestone for all of us. I really hope we manage to raise awareness of this issue and show everyone that life is wonderful.”
Laney:
“Today I had a police escort all of my own! A cop on a Harley and me!!!”!!*!!@ Today was exceptional – the Nene Valley HOG Chapter who had raised money for us were amazing and dissolved me to tears – to see all those riders join us was a sight to behold. How many superlatives can I use Megan?” Xxx
Karina:
“How awesome has this all been?@! Mere words cannot describe how it feels to be part of such an incredible group on such a fantastic journey… today we had a police escort with sirens and lights taking us into Stratford – God help the poor tourists who couldn’t get a decent photo without us in it. A big thanks to all the Harleys that rode with us!! We’ve only just started out really, but already we have bonded as a group and God help anyone who gets in our way. Sorry to the pedestrian with suicidal tendencies who almost felt the combined weight of me and my Harley. Next time I won’t be so quick on the brakes…”
Heather:
“OK, first blog and something sad to report – my first road kill! A wee squirrel bounded across the road, and under my wheel L Other than that, cringe-making moment I am thoroughly enjoying this. The welcome we receive as we go through the villages, the waves and smiles …. Wonderful! And so special. A big thank you to all that are helping on this ride, you are helping me regain my confidence and joy, and helping so many others you’ll never know about.”
Alison:
“This has been an incredible day, full of huge highs and some low, but the highs are how I will remember the day. I was completely blown away by the support from the local Harley Chapters, and WIMA girls. To see the number of people who turned up at Chipping Camden to ride with us to Stratford, just reduced me to tears. I wandered around the car park, taking pictures of our supporters, tears streaming. How fantastic are those people?! And then, the escort into Stratford, traffic stopped, riding down the pedestrian streets passing amazed bystanders!! A never-to-be-forgotten experience. Thanks to the Warwickshire Police for all their fantastic support. What an awesome day!”
Ceri Brain (Photographer, Warwickshire Police)
“The thing that struck me most about you remarkable ladies is the camaraderie and friendship within the group, especially as I then learned that you had met only days previously. I can imagine that this is going to be a trip of a lifetime for you all and I feel very privileged to have ridden with you for just a short part of your extraordinary journey. All the best for the future miles. PS Thanks for the sausages.”
Alan Mathie (Ceri’s Assistant)
“Fantastic run from Chipping Camden to Stratford, with Police escort. We have total admiration for all the women on this run, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you and ride a short way with you.”
Jaquie Firth:
“What a day! Hilarious, emotional, breathtaking. It doesn’t get better than this! The highlight of my day was seeing six-foot plus, hairy Harley riders reduced to blushing kids after Laney’s big sloppy hugs and kisses of thanks for their fund-raising efforts. Lovely folk!! How do we follow today?”
Angi:
“What can I say? I am speechless; today I cannot put into words the experience. I think it is because I have mammary loss! Honored to be part of it- you lot are part of something special in my life, thank you to Megan and Meredith – without you this would not be happening. Keep smiling!!!”
Cathy:
“What a fantastic way to start ‘The Global Run’. The UK is truly amazing and beautiful to see the bonding that has taken place among all the survivors. Already lots of media attention here in the UK – great to see! These little English villages will never be the same! We are making quite a stir. I am proud to be a part of this ride. The UK women have been very welcoming to this “yank”. Hello to friends, family and Hospice co-workers in Michigan. A special hello to Sandy (new survivor), J & J (love you both), my little Sugar dog and “CKW”. See you all soon.”
Megan:
“Just a few notes to add on to everyone’s wonderful comments. I am completely blown away by the beauty and courage and strength of the women on this ride, and the magic that happens by all of us coming together to make this journey. I was completely overwhelmed and sobbing by the time we reached Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Meredith and I stood in front of it on a freezing cold day in February of this year and talked about how amazing it might be to have a group of survivors and their bikes standing in front of it.
Thank you Dee for making that vision a reality. It is a pedestrian zone and it was so incredible to ride through the beautiful and historic town of Stratford-Upon-Avon on a gorgeous sunny day, past streets lined with tourists. And there we stood. A once in a lifetime experience.
Thank you to everyone who has been so generous to support Amazon Heart and Changing Gears around the world.”
“Well, what can I say – we left Bath in a convoy, looking absolutely amazing as we rode along. A couple of girls from a HOG chapter joined us, with the rest joining us in Chipping Camden, and so the saga begins…. Four of us (including me) took the wrong turn at a roundabout and completely lost course and direction and ended up well and truly lost. Personally, I had a blast, burning up the countryside, amazing scenery and people trying to point me in the right direction. All met up again eventually at a petrol station and got into Chipping Camden over an hour late. The rest of the HOG chapter was there to greet us along with 3 police motorcyclists from Warwickshire Bikesafe. Fantastic! After lunch we were escorted by the Bikesafe Police into Stratford Upon Avon for a photo opportunity at Shakespeare’s Birthplace. The highlight of the afternoon especially for me was seeing Megan and Meredith’s face. They had achieved another goal, seeing all the bikes parked up, again awesome, in front of Shakespeare’s joint. After completely terrorizing the shoppers and pedestrians in Stratford Town Centre, loads of photo opportunities later and we all depart. Going as we arrived, sirens blipping, blue lights flashing, and fifteen women astride motorcycles, grinning from ear to ear.” xx
Wendy:
“As above, but it wasn’t me who got lost, I just followed my leader!! Police escort was fantastic – yet another great day!” xx
Donna Handley (Sydney, Australia):
I wasn’t sure what to expect with the UK ride after a very exciting ride in California last year. From the moment I flew into London, it has been one wonderful experience after another. The girls on the ride have welcomed me with open hearts and I feel like I have known them all a lifetime already. They are amazing girls with amazing strength. I feel very close to them as they are very grounded girls full of life and energy. We are sharing some amazing experiences together, not only getting to know one another, but trusting each other and riding alongside each other. The sights are wonderful, I love it here. I love the UK countryside, it is just a wonderful place to ride a motorcycle through. This is surely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” xx
Jacqui:
“I felt very emotional yesterday – we were just about to leave the hotel and ride over to the Ace Café and officially start the ride. Emotions overwhelmed me as we got nearer – this is a fantastic experience for all of us. Breast Cancer survivors can ride big motorcycles and enjoy life! What a celebration it has been – the countryside is great, the humour and the strength of everyone in the group is amazing – I don’t want it to end! The police escort into Stratford was fantastic – again it was an enormous milestone for all of us. I really hope we manage to raise awareness of this issue and show everyone that life is wonderful.”
Laney:
“Today I had a police escort all of my own! A cop on a Harley and me!!!”!!*!!@ Today was exceptional – the Nene Valley HOG Chapter who had raised money for us were amazing and dissolved me to tears – to see all those riders join us was a sight to behold. How many superlatives can I use Megan?” Xxx
Karina:
“How awesome has this all been?@! Mere words cannot describe how it feels to be part of such an incredible group on such a fantastic journey… today we had a police escort with sirens and lights taking us into Stratford – God help the poor tourists who couldn’t get a decent photo without us in it. A big thanks to all the Harleys that rode with us!! We’ve only just started out really, but already we have bonded as a group and God help anyone who gets in our way. Sorry to the pedestrian with suicidal tendencies who almost felt the combined weight of me and my Harley. Next time I won’t be so quick on the brakes…”
Heather:
“OK, first blog and something sad to report – my first road kill! A wee squirrel bounded across the road, and under my wheel L Other than that, cringe-making moment I am thoroughly enjoying this. The welcome we receive as we go through the villages, the waves and smiles …. Wonderful! And so special. A big thank you to all that are helping on this ride, you are helping me regain my confidence and joy, and helping so many others you’ll never know about.”
Alison:
“This has been an incredible day, full of huge highs and some low, but the highs are how I will remember the day. I was completely blown away by the support from the local Harley Chapters, and WIMA girls. To see the number of people who turned up at Chipping Camden to ride with us to Stratford, just reduced me to tears. I wandered around the car park, taking pictures of our supporters, tears streaming. How fantastic are those people?! And then, the escort into Stratford, traffic stopped, riding down the pedestrian streets passing amazed bystanders!! A never-to-be-forgotten experience. Thanks to the Warwickshire Police for all their fantastic support. What an awesome day!”
Ceri Brain (Photographer, Warwickshire Police)
“The thing that struck me most about you remarkable ladies is the camaraderie and friendship within the group, especially as I then learned that you had met only days previously. I can imagine that this is going to be a trip of a lifetime for you all and I feel very privileged to have ridden with you for just a short part of your extraordinary journey. All the best for the future miles. PS Thanks for the sausages.”
Alan Mathie (Ceri’s Assistant)
“Fantastic run from Chipping Camden to Stratford, with Police escort. We have total admiration for all the women on this run, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you and ride a short way with you.”
Jaquie Firth:
“What a day! Hilarious, emotional, breathtaking. It doesn’t get better than this! The highlight of my day was seeing six-foot plus, hairy Harley riders reduced to blushing kids after Laney’s big sloppy hugs and kisses of thanks for their fund-raising efforts. Lovely folk!! How do we follow today?”
Angi:
“What can I say? I am speechless; today I cannot put into words the experience. I think it is because I have mammary loss! Honored to be part of it- you lot are part of something special in my life, thank you to Megan and Meredith – without you this would not be happening. Keep smiling!!!”
Cathy:
“What a fantastic way to start ‘The Global Run’. The UK is truly amazing and beautiful to see the bonding that has taken place among all the survivors. Already lots of media attention here in the UK – great to see! These little English villages will never be the same! We are making quite a stir. I am proud to be a part of this ride. The UK women have been very welcoming to this “yank”. Hello to friends, family and Hospice co-workers in Michigan. A special hello to Sandy (new survivor), J & J (love you both), my little Sugar dog and “CKW”. See you all soon.”
Megan:
“Just a few notes to add on to everyone’s wonderful comments. I am completely blown away by the beauty and courage and strength of the women on this ride, and the magic that happens by all of us coming together to make this journey. I was completely overwhelmed and sobbing by the time we reached Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Meredith and I stood in front of it on a freezing cold day in February of this year and talked about how amazing it might be to have a group of survivors and their bikes standing in front of it.
Thank you Dee for making that vision a reality. It is a pedestrian zone and it was so incredible to ride through the beautiful and historic town of Stratford-Upon-Avon on a gorgeous sunny day, past streets lined with tourists. And there we stood. A once in a lifetime experience.
Thank you to everyone who has been so generous to support Amazon Heart and Changing Gears around the world.”
1 Comments:
We all enjoyed the short ride with you ladies up to Stratford. Your spirit and courage must surely be an inspiration to others and we wish you a safe journey. The 'old bill' on Harleys ?? well that says something for your influence :-) Ride Safe Ladies.
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