Over the next few days cheques totalling £32,455,94 will be paid to both The Charlie Waller Trust Charity No: 1109984) and to The Human Givens Foundation (Charity No: 1108432).  SLOW RIDE TO TURIN raised an incredible £64,911.89 (and this is the total without gift aid!). Both charities focus on helping to prevent/relieve the overwhelming pain of depression and anxiety.

We are thrilled, and this amazing total exceeds far more than we had ever imagined we would raise.  For those of you who followed the journey on our website www.slowridetoturin.co.uk  will have concluded the journey was extraordinarily special in countless ways: the weather, the camaraderie of the 28 cyclists, the amazing places we stayed, the lovely food and meals we all shared, a safe journey for everyone to Turin, and now this truly amazing amount of money raised for our Charities.

We miss her every day,  but what a profound testament Slow Ride to Turin has been for gentle, lovely Philly.   Thank you EVERYONE who has supported the ride, cycled the ride, supported us, always with the memory of  dear Pip never far away.

The Three Counties Swing Band gave us all  a fun, foot-tapping  and festive evening on Sunday.  With the sense of Chritsmas in the air (mulled wine and mince pies) , some of us started to swing to the silvery tones of the talented band.  A big thank you to the The Band and to Kerry Spong who made the fantastic mince pies for the evening. The evening raised a wonderful £450 for SRTT.  Thank you also to everyone who came along to enjoy the evening.

 John Govier from BBC Radio Devon will be interviewing Maddy and me between 10-11am on Thursday 27th December, 2012.  If you’re home washing up, peeling spuds or somewhere in Devon remember to tune in to capture a little of what SRTT has achieved. 

Lastly, thank-you to all and everyone who has supported SRTT in so many different ways.  From cyclists to sponsors, from well wishes and prayers  we couldn’t have done it without you, nor without dear Pip in our thoughts.  A happy and peaceful Christmas to you all.

PS –  money is still trickling from different sources. This will be posted to the total sap.

During the recent days of our home-coming, it has become apparent how the cyclists have missed their lycra, missed their daily mission, missed the warm comradeship of the journey.  Not only this, I have missed the blue van, and find the flimsy gear-box of a GOLF is no comparison for the trusty old friend I got to know during those extraordinary days of our journey to Turin.  More meaningfully though, these last few days have given me a chance to think about what this journey has given to us all.

Less than 6 months before her death Pip had talked of doing a long cycle ride….. had even bought herself a Hi Viz jacket.  So when Maddy first mooted the idea of SRTT it really did not seem so ridiculous, and in a way, the obvious thing to do to celebrate Pip’s adventurous nature and her passion for Seasonal, Local, Organic and Wild foods. Plans for the ride began in September.   Perhaps the many months spent preparing the journey have unconsciously helped to ease the pain of Philly’s death. Aside from the safe return of all the cyclists, fine weather and good companionship I am not sure what my expectations had been for journey.

Thankfully, those few hopes were fulfilled AND so very much more.  My admiration grew for each and everyone of the cyclist; their spirited determination, their unity, their friendship, their fun was uplifting and we seemed to create a dreamlike yellow bubble where everyone carefully looked after each other.  Each day brought poignant reminders of dear Pip.  Somedays Nonie, Caroline, Hugh and I would recognise some exquisite patisserie or the local delicacies which she would have waxed lyrical about, others a beautiful butterfly would loiter around at our lunch time picnic spot…

The most moving time for me was the route from Chambery to Col de Cenis; three breathtaking days of a cloudless Alpine Autumn, where it seemed we had the road to ourselves and everything was bathed in a golden light: sunflowers, golden vines, vivid yellow leaves, sun-peaked mountains and finally, on the last morning, the yellow-shuttered chapel on the mountain.  That same day, yet sixty miles later, our stream of yellow ducklings pedalled their way through the busy streets of Turin to arrive safely, and on time, at The Lingotto Building.  Quite a moment for us all!  Two days later there was snow on our Alpine route, we wouldn’t have made it, quietly affirming the journey was meant to be.

The remarkable journey has been enriching, lifelong friendships formed, and for many, these days will be some of the best in their lives with unforgettable memories to treasure.  None of this would have happened but for the influence and inspirations of the girl in the yellow cardigan who loved nothing more than to have an adventure with her friends and share some good food.  We feel blessed – thank you Philly. XX

Nick is the first rider to upload some super photos to our new FLICKR account!  Check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/slowridetoturin/