Mallinder and Facer to tackle L’Etape du Tour

 

Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder and sales and marketing manager Brian Facer are going to be tackling a different challenge this summer in the 2012 L’Etape du Tour in aid of charity.

 

L’Etape du Tour gives amateur cyclists the opportunity to emulate the professionals by taking on one of the stages of the Tour de France.

 

Next year’s L’Etape, on July 14, 2012, will follow the route of one of the main Tour’s most difficult stages. If the 197km between Pau and Bagneres-de-Luchon weren’t enough, the Saints pair will also be climbing the Col d’Aubisque (1,709m), the Col d’Aspin (1,489m), the Col de Peyresourde (1,559m) and the mighty Col du Tourmalet (2,115m), the highest road in the Central Pyrenees.

 

The ascent up the Col du Tourmalet on its own will feature a 1,600-metre vertical climb in just over 30km – an average gradient of 1/19 – but the Northampton duo won’t be alone; L’Etape du Tour sees several thousand cyclists following in the tyre marks of their heroes.

 

Riding on bikes provided by Milton Keynes-based Trek Bicycles, Mallinder and Facer will be raising money for the Puzzle Centre in Buckingham, which is in its tenth year of providing high quality specialised early intervention for pre-school children with communication and autism spectrum disorders.

 

Donations for the pair’s efforts are being taken now on www.justgiving.com/RingsOfFire

 

Alexandra Stanyer, the Puzzle Centre’s principal, says that the duo’s efforts are certainly appreciated by everyone at the centre.

 

“We’re all delighted that Jim and Brian are supporting us with their challenge next summer,” she said. “The ride in the Pyrenees sounds very daunting and hopefully Saints fans and the general public alike will get behind them.

 

“The money they raise will help us continue our work in providing support to families who have young children with autism and related disorders, as well as research, advocacy and outreach programmes.

 

“We can’t thank Jim and Brian enough for supporting us in this way and we wish them luck!”

 

Mallinder, who with Facer and several other members of Saints staff ran the 2010 London Marathon in aid of Autism Concern, says that raising money for charity is a good motivation in facing the challenge of L’Etape du Tour.

 

“Taking on a challenge like L’Etape du Tour is a big personal goal,” he said, “but it means that little bit more when you are raising money on behalf of a cause like the Puzzle Centre which does so much good work on behalf of young children and their families. I hope that the Saints fans will get behind us and donate whatever they can.

 

“It will be a massive challenge for both myself and Brian. We are keen cyclists but obviously there is nothing in Northamptonshire that quite matches the mountains in the Pyrenees we’ll be climbing in July. It will also give us a first-hand insight into what the professionals face day in, day out, throughout the year.

 

“We’re indebted to Trek for providing state-of-the-art bikes for L’Etape as well as support and advice for how to prepare for the challenge. The staff and management at the Trek store in Milton Keynes could not have been more helpful. They have all the equipment, clothing and technical knowhow we could ever want to help us prepare properly.”

 

Nigel Roberts, general manager of Trek UK, says that the company – and its Milton Keynes store in particular – had no hesitation in getting behind Mallinder and Facer’s ride.

 

“We have a good relationship with the Saints that includes several charity bike rides in the past and therefore agreed straight away to support Jim and Brian as they take on the 2012 L’Etape du Tour,” he said. “The stage they are taking on is one of the toughest in the main race and everyone at the Trek Store in Milton Keynes is committed to helping them succeed.

 

“We’re also delighted that they have chosen the Puzzle Centre as their chosen charity. It is a small, local charity that does some great work and will benefit enormously from any funds that are raised.”

 

Over coming months Mallinder and Facer will be organising other fund raising events and training rides. To be a part of either the events or the rides email brianfacer@northamptonsaints.co.uk

 

For more information about the Puzzle Centre and its work visit www.puzzlecentre.org.uk

 

For more information about Trek bikes visit www.trekbikes.com

 

For more information about the 2012 L’Etape du Tour visit www.letapedutour.com