Roddy Graham, ICFM chairman and by his own admission is ‘no stranger to the dessert trolley’, is cycling from London to Paris for charity… really.
On yer bike.
You know I wrote about potholes a few blogs ago. Well, now I’m becoming an expert on them.
My avoidance technique has gone up by literal leaps and bounds. A recent AA survey supports the view that local councils are spending as much money in meeting claims for damages as they are in filling them in the first place.
There are an estimated 3.5 million potholes in England and Wales and I’ve had to cycle around a good few hundred in Surrey.
Why? A few months ago in a moment of madness, (probably after a very good lunch!), I agreed to take part in a 250-mile charity bike ride from London to Paris. This would be a steep challenge for even serious athletes, however as you know, I carry a few extra inches around the waist and am still “no stranger to the dessert trolley!”
With this event looming in a few weeks, I took the bold step of buying a bike and embarking on my training programme. However, with around six weeks to go, I don’t think that Lance Armstrong will be looking over his shoulder although I’m trying to stick to his performance programme.
On a serious note, this will be a tough bike ride but our aim is to raise as much money as we can for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The charity celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and our team of 14 riders is hoping to raise a minimum of £5,000 for this great charity.
Our team will start from Parliament Square at 6am on Thursday, 19 June and will ride 70 miles to Folkestone before catching a late afternoon Eurotunnel shuttle to Calais.
Day two will start painfully for most at a more civilised 9am and will cover 70 miles between Calais and Abbeville.
Day three will be all about getting through the ‘seven valleys’, covering 55 miles from Abbeville to Beauvais. To the relief of very sore bottoms and much else, the final day from Beauvais is just another 55 miles into Paris down the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Apart from our own company, we’ve received generous support from Thrifty Car & Van Rental, who are kindly providing a 17-seater minibus.
If you can see your way to helping us, it would be really appreciated.
Online donations to the Leasedrive Velo London to Paris Bike Ride in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care can be made by visiting the events website here.
Alternatively, please send a cheque made payable to ‘Marie Curie Cancer Care’ to myself at Leasedrive Velo, Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 3GA.
We will be keeping a photographic record of the ride on our ride and hopefully we will all arrive safely in Paris and enjoy a few glasses of red before returning to Blighty.
