A Poem...by Katie Rellis

Rider Katie Rellis has composed a poem about her experiences with the Norwich 100. Please take a moment to read it and then think about donating for such a worthwhile cause. Enjoy. 








Just 12hrs before we begun the race,
All thoughts were on the 100 miles we’d soon face.
We gathered the night before for our penultimate meal,
But it was only at the start line that it began to real!


As we all stood proudly in our light blue kit
We took a deep breath thinking, “Now this is it!”
Riding through the picturesque Norfolk countryside for the first 
40 miles,
Our legs pedaled away as they’d practised and we were all 
smiles.
Practicing drafting with Hannah as our lead,
Head down and forward, that girl has speed
A cluster of yellow and black uniformed riders, cyclists by profession,
Proved no match for Hannah who, with Oxford in mind, flew past them with aggression.
Staying close and working as a team is a must,
We overtook them with style and left them for dust
This was one of the highlights of the day
“Wow, look at them go!” I heard one of them say.
An ominous man warned of the hills up ahead,
Just the thought of an incline fills us with dread,
Tired moans and groans as we conquer one hill only to see 
more undulating terrain,
Yet, ‘Norfolk is flat’, Scotland is where we’ll have to tackle real 
elevation gain.
But the Norwich 100 starts where it ends, just like the Triple 
Crown,
So at least we’ll have comfort in knowing that where there’s an up there’s a down.
Sheringham High School meant half-way so far,
But to go any further we’d need fuel from Clif Bar!
The RSM was there with support and supplies,
After enjoying some Clif and a rest, Trev said “Lets get going guys!”
We said goodbye to Mr Shaw,
Then set our minds to 50 more.
As we cycled through Blakeney, Cley, Salthouse, 
Sheringham, Runton and of course Cromer,
Memories of childhood holidays occupied my mind as the miles rolled over.
As it neared midday we rode on as the hot sun shone,
The RSM drove passed shouting words of encouragement to cheer his team on.
We kept going strong thanks to Tom’s pasta,
Last nights carbs, and lots of Clif meant we went fasta.
A puncture with just 8 miles to go forces us to stop,
But we’ll have spares in the bus when we’re against the clock.
The last 5 miles flew past like a breeze,
Garmin = 5.59, under six hours with ease!
We completed the hundred and unclipped our shoes from our 
pedals,

We got to the finish to receive our certificate and medals.
So now we can tick off the Norwich 100 as complete,
But our race in September with ten consecutively is a serious 
feat.
So follow us on this blog for the hardest ride of our lives,
Oxford better watch out because it’s on competition that 
Cambridge thrives.
But please understand the cause at the heart of insanity,
It’s all in aid of Combat Stress and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity!