12 of us did it, as some of the pics prove and what a fabulous trip it was. French roads are a delight to cycle on (except a few cobbled ones in Paris, that was THE most dangerous part but as you can see, some of us did 1 or 2 Triomphant laps around the Arc before heading down Le Champs Elysee and negotiating Le Place de la Concorde) I got a cheer from a few strangers standing at the base of the Arc de Triomphe probably because I was flying a French flag from the back of my bike (kindly supplied by Phil and Mark from LLGS who met us at Le Tour Eiffel with champagne too !). Thank you to everyone involved and especially to those of you donating.

With the help of lots of lycra and padding, about 14 of us are cycling from London to Paris August 6-10th.  We're organising the event ourselves and have already done training rides to Brighton and Oxford to prepare, even though I did 2 other sponsored rides 9 years ago. I raised over £4,000 for Mencap in the China Bike Ride (5 days around Beijing) and London to Amsterdam over 3 days.

I am hoping to raise £450 for the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (LLGS) for which I used to volunteer and may well return as a direct result of this Bike Ride.  It's a 35 year old telephone helpline where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered volunteers speak to thousands of callers from across the UK, from 10 am to 11 pm every day of the year. From going out to coming out, from gay parenting to being the parent of a gay child, from sexual health to mental health, from falling in love to domestic violence, via homophobia, abuse and bullying. Whatever the call, LLGS is there to provide confidential, non-judgemental support - and we're non-directive, so we don't tell callers what to do. 

It doesn't end here as the weekend before I'm also doing the London Triathlon in Docklands and intend to raise about the same for the Positive Health Scheme at my gym Central YMCA !

Donating through JustGiving is quick, easy and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me, if you’re a UK taxpayer, JustGiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.  I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (LLGS).

So please sponsor me !       Thank you very much.