Day Two Back in the Saddle

After the undulating off road trails of day one, Sip mounted the saddle again on Tuesday for another twenty four hours, this time on road bike. By day he completed thirty kilometre loops of pre-planned routes on local roads around Thirsk, before returning to the safety of the airfield for the night time activities. In total he accumulated over 200 kilometres through Tuesday, up until midday on Wednesday, taking the grand total so far this week to over 400 kilometres, and that’s without sleep.

Speaking in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after the overnight session and post his psychometric assessment, Sip is coping well with the challenge so far. "I feel alright. I’m not going to lie, I can feel it, I know I’ve been awake for forty eight hours. Probably the hardest thing, is that a couple of hours ago I had to write a risk assessment for the climb in Newcastle later today. Trying to write a risk assessment at 3am in the morning, and not fall asleep was a bit of a challenge. I am looking forward to the climb later though. It’ll be nice to be in the centre of Newcastle and the weather is looking not too bad at the moment. It will be great to be there with all the guys, and Alan Hinkes will be climbing too."

Tuesday, day two, went by without incident, with one of the highlights being a quick stop at Twisted Automotive in Thirsk, a globally renowned tuning company who upgrade Land Rovers. Photographed aside, fundraiser and event supporter Alan Hinkes takes a stance in the sunshine outside of their facility. Sip and the team now move on, and have setup camp in Newcastle city centre, equipped with a climbing wall in Old Eldon Square, site of the war memorial and host to the city’s Remembrance Day commemoration, an apt location to raise awareness of veteran mental health. At the time of writing, the team have been based there since early afternoon on Wednesday, and will continue to climb until early Thursday morning, through the night.

We will post an update again tomorrow, but for now, please check out the video highlights below from day two of the event, road cycling. Help us to make a difference by donating today, however small, or by sharing our story with family and friends.