Last Monday the JTR team huddled at our now infamous HQ at Borough Market. Small talk was made and sausages in a bap ordered as we politely sipped our tea and ignored the rather obvious reason for us being there.
As readers of this blog will know, we’ve all had some nasty offs over the last month or so, Patrick in particular is still in a pretty bad state – as he puts it;
“Thinking back to the accident one of the first things that hit me, other than the bike, was the notion that a September departure for Russia was slipping away from me.”
A truth that we’ve simply had to accept. Whilst JTR may have started out as one persons dream, it has never been about any one of us. JTR would not exist and does not exist without us being a team, unless all three of us can make this journey then it’s not Journey To Russia.
With that in mind we’ve decided to postpone our departure. We’ll now leave the UK July next year, with a fit team and bikes that are not in several parts in several garages.
This is a huge blow to us as a team, not least because it means losing a lot of momentum that we’d built up, and a lot of the work that has already gone in is now going to have to be re-done – but it’s the right decision – it’s the sensible decision.
We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and head for Russia in 2008!
Phew. I can stop holding my breath now. As I’ve been reading the blog, it seemed to become more obvious that you should postpone the trip.
Even if you could have all got fit in time, the extra stress and scrambling beforehand would have spoilt the journey.
In the end, you can’t repeat a first experience like this and, with more time to prepare, it will be so much better next year than if you’d gone this year without the injuries.
Wishing you all the very best,
Paola
Hey Paola, thanks for that… I know exactly what you mean… it’s been getting closer and closer to having to make that call and I don’t think any of us wanted to make it… but we have to have a certain level of sense!
Thanks for the support. As Matt said it was a difficult decision we have had to come to terms with but in a way one it was made for us in the end.
Sad News Fella,s but in the long run its the right move.
Heres to a success in 2008 then !!
Cheers !!
Thanks mate!
It’s good to know we still have the support – been down of late but looking ahead to the new departure date now!
Gutted for you all. I was looking forward to the inevitable never ending photo stream on Flickr. Good luck for next year.
Cheers mate! The photostream will continue have no doubt!
Yeah don’t worry… the photos will now be even more never-ending – my favourite at the moment has to be the x-ray from Patrick’s hospital visit… ouch!
Hi Lads
Stace broke the news to me, and like everyone else who has commented, am really gutted for you. Perhaps this was ‘meant to be’ as the saying goes. At least you’ll have no excuses now to get yourselves sorted for the trip. Just gotta take as many positives from this as you can, and move on.
Hopefully between now and July, I might get a chance to meet you and give you some ‘dirt’ on Stace.
All the best
Ian
That sucks, hope you and your bikes are all on the mend soon. Now I can stop asking you when you’re going every time I see you 🙂