UPDATE: -

It's done!  I started at 09:30 on 2 June, finished at 15:30 on 9 June.  Bang on time.  I covered 720 miles in total.  The training was adequate - and I felt in great condition at the end.  Thank you all so much for your support, I really enjoyed your comments, and valued your good wishes.

Best regards, Graham.

Last year I set myself some long term fitness goals, which led to the purchase of a new bike. I was then drawn to a challenge I saw at work – cycling from Swindon to Zurich in the "Tour de Zurich". I put my name down, and then began to consider the implications.

There were two main points – the personal challenge of cycling 650 miles in eight days (about 80 miles per day!) and the second of raising money for charity. I’m a keen supporter of the Openwork Foundation, part of the Zurich Community Trust (UK) Ltd. charity, and the money raised on this page will be directed to the Openwork Foundation.

The charity bit is important – sometimes I have given my time to charity, and sometimes money. I find it to be very rewarding, perhaps because it is demanding as well. The Openwork Foundation supports two charities in particular; Weston Spirit and the Association of Children’s Hospices.

Weston Spirit aims to help young people on the verge of social exclusion. The charity provides personal development training to help these young people deal with their own situation in a positive way, thus providing the opportunity of a responsible adult life. You can find out much more on www.westonspirit.org.uk

The Association of Children’s Hospices (ACH) sets out to help families who have children with life limiting illness. ACH works together with other organisations to support the development of best practice and provision of children's hospice services across the UK. Again you can find out more on www.childhospice.org.uk

The Tour de Zurich starts from Birmingham on 1st June (what a way to celebrate Openwork's first birthday!), I'm joining at Swindon for the last 1,000Km on 2nd of June.  In total there are 12 riders (se our team page http://www.justgiving.com/TourdeZurich06) and two brave volunteers in the support vehicle, hoping to arrive in Zurich on 9th June.  We have been lucky and had some help from sponsors for the vehicle and some of the support costs - I'll be paying all my personal expenses - so all the money you donate is going straight to charity.

The personal challenge! Before I started training the furthest I had ridden a bike in a single day was perhaps 30 miles.  My longest ride is now over 100 miles at a single sitting (I use the term loosely after sseven hours in the saddle!).  I have found the process very satisfying from a fitness perspective – I have lost 10 pounds and definitely changed shape.

The long-term goal – to cycle down to see the sailing Olympics in Weymouth in 2012.

P.S. If I can bust the £2,500 target I have promised to be a real cyclist - I'll have my legs publicly waxed - so dig deep for Weston Spirit and ACH - and I'll pay the price!