Where to start.......

My name is Derek and I shall be 60 when the ride starts, where have all those years gone?

My first scooter was a Gilera 125 2 stroke bought new in 1966 followed by lots of Lammies and Vespas and a few odd scooters such as the German Maicoletta. I had a break from 2 wheels for a few years and after moving to Birmingham got fed up with the commuting so went back to 2 wheels again and have not looked back since. I've had many geared bikes over the years ranging from a Honda Super Dream to a Yamaha V-Max. I found my daily commute increasingly difficult due to the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and changed to a Piaggio X9 500SL automatic scooter. A very capable machine and in my opinion one of the best super scooters out there. Being a twist & go it extended my riding life and I have made many friends through the owners forum.

I had to give up working in 2006 because of the RA and the first year was quite enjoyable as I found plenty to do and was a bit of a novelty. Not wanting to vegetate I considered voluntary work helping kids to read but was put off by the inflexibility of the schools and then last year I thought that it would be good to do some fund raising for charity, the seeds were sown but what fruit they would bear was not certain.

I volunteered to do research for the NABD and joined the National Committee (It's rumored that only death will release you from the commitment) and after a couple of meetings with a great bunch of people the charity to ride for was almost chosen for me, the NABD. I also owe a great deal of thanks to the staff at the Arthritis Clinic at Selly Oak hospital whose help and treatment kept me working and mobile for many years before I finally had to quit.

I bought a Gilera Fuoco last July and thought that I had found the perfect machine for a charity ride so decided that I would go around the coast of the UK mainland. It's a daunting task and I'm afraid the the RA may make the trip difficult but I am determined that it WILL be done.