Teenage Cancer Trust - SG Charity of the Year

Having not troubled your wallets and purses in 2010, I hope you'll contribute to my 2011 cycling challenge? This year 12 assorted old men in lycra and generally people from SG Hambros and other fine banking insititutions with much less to do now than a few years ago, will be embarking on a 900Km route (about 550 miles) from Geneva to Nice. Nothing special there then as we did 960 miles to Barcelona in 2009? Well, we couldn't do it the easy way, so we plan to ride up at least two mountains (totalling around an average of 3000metres in height or just under 10,000 feet) each day and taking in some of the Tour de France's best, including (the numbers signify the severity of the climb - 2 being quite tough, 1 hard and 'HC' or Haute Category - beyond definition!):

D1: La Cluzas (2616m)

 

D2: Col des Aravis (1486) cat 2

Col des Saisies (1657)

Cormet de Roseland (1967) cat 1

 

D3: Col Du Madeline (1993 HC): http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=col+de+la+madeleine&qpvt=col+de+la+madeleine&FORM=IGRE  and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col_de_la_Madeleine  

D4: Col du Glandon (1924 HC): http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Col-du-Glandon&qryMountainID=27  

Alpe d'Huez (1815 HC): http://www.grenoblecycling.com/Col-AlpedHuez.htm and (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpe_d'Huez)D5: Col du Lautaret (2057 Cat 2?)



Col d'Izoard (2344)

 

D6: Cols de Vars (2109

Col de Bonette (2802 HC): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col_de_la_Bonette), the highest paved road in Europe at around 2802metres (9300 feet) and covered in snow all year round

 

D7: Col St Martin (1500)

Col du Turini (1607)

 

We will ride every day and will leave Geneva on the afternoon of the 3rd September and arrive in Nice the next Saturday (hopefully still 2011). Usual celebrations involving much drinking and food will be undertaken in Nice for the day followed by a speedy return with the bikes in the van to sunny Blighty.

All proceeds for the ride will go toward SG Banks' charity of the year, the Teenage Cancer Trust, see: http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/

A fabulous charity and I think you will agree an extremely worthwhile one that has spent 20-years supporting young people with cancer aged 13-24.

In addition I will also be raising money for a friend of mine who runs a community project in Norwich, called 'Sweet Arts'. This is run by Toni Lawton who also works for a charity called Leeway helping women who have suffered domestic violance and abuse, Sweet Arts is an award winning seperate project Toni has set up on her own and while it does not have charity status, is incredibly valuable and provides free art workshops for women suffering or having suffered, violence, emotional and mental illness, isolation, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and many other difficulties.

For every £1 donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust I will contribute 25p of my own money to Sweet Arts.

Please give generously to this excellent charity and maybe I can meet this challenge more Bradley Wiggins than Bradley Walsh...and without the broken collar bone!