Blue Wealth update – Here’s the latest news from the Blue Wealth team

Each month, we share some of the highlights of what’s been happening in and around Blue Wealth.

Join us for lunch and a round of golf on our Annual Golf Day

We’ll be holding the Blue Wealth annual client golf day on Thursday 14 September at Bristol and Clifton Golf Club. A light buffet lunch will be served ahead of play in the afternoon.

Please email hello@bluewealth.co.uk to register your interest. It would be great to see you.

Adrian Thorley completed 2 cycle challenges

You’ll be pleased to hear that Adrian Thorley survived the two cycle challenges he’d set himself in June, raising more money for our charity partner BillyChip on the way.

First up was the Mendips Lakes and Lumps ride

Organised by a small group of locals with support and backing from the Mendip Hill AONB (area of natural beauty) unit, the ride offers people the chance to cycle the beautiful location and raise money for good causes.

Covering a total distance of 43 miles, the race started at 8.30 am on Saturday 11 June. Adrian picks up the story…

After a great night’s sleep, I was up early to walk Cooper and make myself a healthy breakfast.

Before every long event, I eat a bucket of porridge with fruit, nuts, and cinnamon. Although it seemed odd to be eating a bowl of hot porridge when the weather had been settled, warm and sunny, I needed to make sure I had plenty of fuel on board.

I have diabetes, so oats work particularly well because the energy release is slow (a bit like my cycling before anyone else says it).

Race conditions could have been better. Although it was still humid, it was fairly dull, and I quickly regretted my choice of dark lenses in my cycling glasses – in the shade it was like riding at night!

On top of the Mendips there was low cloud and drizzle which made the lanes very slippery in places. Because it was the first time it had rained in weeks, the damp roads were worse than they might otherwise have been.

The hardest part of the ride was the optional five-mile loop that I unwittingly signed up for. I was in the first group away and, when the organiser asked if anyone was planning on doing that, no one else put their hand up. One guy said he’d done it once and “never again”. That should have given me a clue.

The descent down a damp lane from Mendip Gliding Club – almost vertical in places – nearly saw me come to grief with an oncoming Land Rover and horsebox.

Unsurprisingly, what goes down must go up… The climb back to the top was horrible, but it didn’t beat me.

The highlight of the ride was when I overtook someone on the steepest hairpin of Cheddar Gorge to make a point after they had overtaken me on the descent from Shipham to Cheddar. Competitive? Me?

Key race stats:

• Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes, 31 secs
• Average speed: 14.2 mph
• Fastest speed: Topped out at 39.9 mph.

2 weeks later, it was time to tackle the Nello

The first Nello Century Cycle Challenge took place in 2000. The annual event has since raised more than £1.2 million for charity.

Having attracted 90 cyclists in the first year, these days the event has grown significantly and regularly has 1,000 people taking part.

Passing through some of the most glorious Devon countryside, this is a cycle ride that people take part in for the atmosphere, the camaraderie, and the buzz…

This race was in Devon, so my alarm went at 4 am on Sunday morning to allow time to walk Cooper before I set off. Despite the early wake-up call, I’d slept really well and raring to go. My companion on the ride later told me he had done anything but.

It was a long time since I’d ridden 100 miles. Fortunately, riding to and from the Mendips ride two weeks before made for a total 85 miles that day, so I was confident that, barring any accidents, I’d be okay.

Unlike the previous ride, the weather was excellent. It was bright, warm, and sunny, apart from on the top of Exmoor where clouds rolled in with a strong wind. The cloud and cooling wind was actually very welcome, as there is very little shade up on top.

The afternoon improved and the weather for the last 25 miles and at the finish was hot and sunny, which was great news for the organisers.

There was nothing too bad in this ride, the climbs from Dulverton towards the top or Exmoor then up again from Simonsbath were challenging but not horrible.

The highlight of the day was the camaraderie of the riders – it was a big event with more than 900 taking part, some opting to do the shorter 65 mile ride. I particularly enjoyed the banter with, and encouragement of, my companion, Simon – we agreed that riding alone is far harder.

Key race stats:

• Time: 6 hours 22 minutes 12 seconds
• Average speed: 15.5 mph
• Maximum speed: 40.5 mph – which seems an awful lot faster than it does in a car.

Also coming up this summer, I have the Great Weston Ride (75 miles) on Sunday 23 July. I would also like to do the Great Exmoor Ride (66 miles) on Sunday 10 September, but haven’t yet booked.