<p>Hi there - thanks for coming this far and please read on! Many of you will know that in the last few years I have started doing cycling events and raised a few pounds along the way. &nbsp;To celebrate turning 40 this year I have decided to ride a trio of rides culminating in the Etape du Tour - a stage of the Tour de France on closed roads for amateurs. The ride is about 86miles and climbs nearly 5000meters - guaranteed suffering!</p> <p>I am raising money for a charity in Edinburgh called the Broomhouse Centre - a fantastic place which supports a community across a range of services including carers projects for youngsters who because of circumstances end up looking after their parents. &nbsp;At the celebration of the Centre's 20th birthday one of the young carers got up and sang and the impact of seeing a youngster who normally has to look after her parents being a kid for 5 mintes was amazing. &nbsp;So please be generous and support this fantastic community project.</p> <p>For those of you who are interested in the cycling stats the rides are the Etape Caledonia (13th May, 82 miles - target 4 hours), the Trossach Ton (17th June, 100 miles - target 6 hours) and the Etape du Tour (8th July, 86miles - target 8 hours). &nbsp; I am looking at doing 2500 miles of training before the ride in July and to lose about 2 stone from my weight in November!</p>