THE FINAL PUSH AND A BIG THANK YOU FOR RIDING WITH US!

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Warsaw - Milan 2025

Dear Followers, readers and supporters,

The cycling adventure from Warsaw to Milan has come to an end.

2535 km cycled.

R353,205 raised for Logwood Village.

Lessons learned, tears spilled, frustrations aired, bonds strengthened, goals accomplished, friendship reignited and between the fight with the denture glue, the scramble with the nettles, the power socket lodged permanently in a Viennese wall, snakes on the road and a love tap with an old Ford in Milan……it’s all done and dusted!

Lots of stories to share and an experience that neither of  Crazybikeguys will ever forget.

The sign of a great adventure (even with all the drama behind the scenes) is the feeling at the end; as Julian said ‘Dad, let’s just turn around and do it all again?’

Thank you SO much for following us, for reading the blogs, spreading the word, sending messages of encouragement and supporting, loving our family in so many ways while this was happening and worrying with us as we followed those mountain trails ‘live’! 

Most importantly thank you for supporting Logwood Village. For making a difference to the residents who call this place home, for making their lives a little easier with your generosity.

We’re signing off with the last day’s message from Grant, (edited by me) and then we’re enjoying a few days in Milan before life returns to some kind of normal next week.

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"Our last day...

So much for our day off to explore. Last night, Julian made me promise to let him sleep in till "late".  Late for a teenager could be any time - but I guess he meant after 8am.

This morning, Sunday the 4th of May, we'd planned to take the ferry to Bellagio and had checked out the ferry timetable last night. Proseco, Aperol and ice cream were on my itinerary.

Sleep time was over by 5:30am - so domestic duties, and bicycle maintenance was completed, before sitting down with a coffee. I was concerned by the weather report for Como - and the pattern extended later to Monza and then Milan - bad weather warning ("lightning and severe rainstorms") commencing just after lunch in Como and then quickly spreading south.

I woke sleeping bear at 8:05am- earlier than maybe he expected, but the hostile result was anticipated. After a few ugly words and grumbling, we headed to brekky a few streets away, where we discussed our alternatives. The sky was already overcast, and the temperature was quickly dropping. Options were (a) to stay and chill in Como and surrounds and maybe catch a train the next morning to Milan or (b) to quickly pack and leave. 

We were not going to end our adventure on a train. What a fizzer that would be!

Julian packed and readied at speed. By 10:30 we were heading out of Como. A few droplets of rain gave added impetus to tackle those early climbs, and soon that changed to a spluttering drizzle.  A "ride" through a muddy riverbed left our bikes, shoes and socks covered in thick mud.

Time to work a bit harder on those pedals. By the time we reached Monza, the drizzle had partially subsided, so we visited the Monza racing circuit. A track day, and Julian was in his element - more Porsches, Lotus, Alfa, Lamborghini, BMW and other cars than one can imagine. He was allowed into the vehicle prep enclosure, and I suspect this certainly was a trip highlight for him. 

Our trip from Como via Monza to Milan has to be one of my most favourite sections of our route. Kilometer after kilometer of fast single-track riding on the banks of a river or through forests. Monza is a truly beautiful city. Exquisite bike paths surrounded by lush vegetation.

It once again started drizzling - a little harder this time - and we picked up the pace to Milan where accommodation was booked. A small hotel near the centre. So small that there was no bike storage - but they made a plan. One bike with the rubbish bins and one in the entrance between sliding doors. Pity our bikes were covered in mud - but they were so accommodating - and had floor cleaning products. 

And with this, our final ride of 59km to Milan drew to a close.  Goals achieved. 2535km covered, over R350K in the donations raised. Our cups are full.

A special thanks to Robyn Edwards, Deborah Ford and Elizabeth for your tireless behind the scenes support helping make sense of what we did each day. Some days it barely made sense to us. 

We had good days. We had bad days. A true adventure and my promise to a nine-year-old in 2019 has been fulfilled. 

Thank you to everyone for your messages of support and good wishes along the way. It helped keep us focused on the bigger picture. 

Goodbye from Julian and I - Warsaw to Milan, 2025.”

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If you can, please donate in celebration of the completion of this ride? Logwood Village provides Section 18As for tax purposes and every cent collected goes towards the residents.

One of the family members wrote this in the GivenGain message centre:

We are so blessed to have such a caring home for my brother to live in. Everyone we interact with is so caring and has the resident's best interests at heart. A very special place.

-Karen Ireland