Shooting Orchids

Since my last article I have been bombarded with questions about which kind of bike I am looking for and where I'm going to get it from. Well, its all changed. It turns out that the amazing guys at Birdie Bikes (Adam and Roger) were able to put a really great package together for me and I walked away from their shop last week with a new Giant FCR 2.0, plus some kit to be going on with. Those guys are great and if you need a little help choosing a bike, they really know what they're talking about - they come highly recommended from the Shooting Orchids!

So yes, I have a new bike with which to train and its been put to good use carrying over 12 Kgs  of my stuff back to the Isle of Wight at the weekend and plenty more training miles this week. 

As you can see by our total, we are now well into the final £5,000 we need to hit our £20,000 target. We now have the summer to chip away at it and will hopefully be riding into Samoens at the end of August with two enormous cheques for our charities. Thanks to everyone for their support so far, including those who have emailed in,  lets hope it truly is the summer of the Shooting Orchids!

Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our events this summer, check out the events section for details.

Mike Orchid

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening!

I hope everyone (in the U.K) is enjoying the fantastic weather and is making the most of the long days and warm evenings. Some of the late afternoon/early evening cycling has been brilliant and it's not taking a lot of effort to get out on the bike and pick up some ridiculous sun tans. I'm currently sporting the '50/50' which is to say that half my thighs are a deep mediterranean brown and the other half are as white as a sheet. Very attractive!

A lot has happened since this idea was conjured up at the back end of last summer and a lot is still to be done before we head off to Samoens in August. As you may have spotted from the Justgiving link, we have raised our target from £15,000 to £20,000. We broke through our base target earlier this summer and, instead of resting on our laurels and patting ourselves on the back, we immediately aimed for a higher amount. The more we can give to our two fantastic charities the better! We have more events and activities in the pipeline to hit our new mark so keep checking the website for details.

I should add a massive Thank You from all of us Orchids to everyone who has donated their time, money and effort to our cause so far! It really means a lot that people are getting behind us and willing us on. A couple more months and we promise we'll shut up about cycling for a while.....whilst we plan the next trip :-)

On the roads the miles have been ticking by. The hills are getting easier, the average speeds are increasing 

I need a new bike. Its not that the Silver Hornet is bad, its just not good enough for what we are about to do. I have restrained myself from buying a proper road bike up to this point for financial reasons, but it now turns out that this time of year is the worst possible time to buy a bike. 

Having spoken to some bike shops I have found out that not only are all the suitable models in my size sold out, but that all the prices have gone up due to our economy not doing as well as it could be. I would essentially be buying last seasons models for this seasons prices, plus a bit more. Not ideal, no sireee.

So, I hear you ask, what is my plan?

The wait is finally over... our team cycle shirt has been chosen and its design number 5 by Mike Romain!

The voting was intense, and at points extrememly competetive, but with 333 votes cast Mike won with 84 hits, narrowly escaping the chasing Dave Armstrong (design 6) with a solid 64. Also of mention was the rather unique design number 3 submitted by Matt Woolgar which gained a surprising following and for a time looked set to take the title.

Thanks to all those who voted, here is the winning shirt in all its glory:

We hope you have enjoyed this little slice of excitement. We will be getting this very shirt made and delivered to the Shooting Orchids over the next few weeks so look out for it in a town near you!

Also, in the spirit of clothing the Shooting Orchids, we are also looking at getting some T-Shirts and/or Polo Shirts made for more casual use. If you are interested in purchasing one of these once we have found a lucky supplier, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .