Update 14 September: by Andy Partridge

Well what a challenge it was, we travelled to the start line very early Saturday morning and watched the weather worsen with every mile.  Despite the driving rain and soggy terrain the team set off with smiles and strong determination to make it to the end.  The first day was a very tough 60 mile ride through Hampshire and into West Sussex which promised fantastic views, if only we could have seen them!  Thankfully on Sunday we woke up to bright sunshine,  and were back in the saddle by 8:30am and ready for the 40 miles to Eastbourne cycling through spectacular scenery.  All in all 100 miles covered and 11,660 feet climbed over rough wet ground, a great achievement by all, and seeing Thomas at the finish, made all the effort very worthwhile indeed.”

Thanks so much to everyone who helped with the event .. we couldn’t have done it without you – a huge thanks to the Varian and Mairon support team, and everyone who sponsored us so generously.

. 

Neil Henry - who works for VMS but is based in Scotland -and friend John, will be cycling in the Pedal for Scotland event on 12th September, and donating their sponsorship to CdLS.     This is usually a 51mile bike ride, so to match the rest of the team, they are doing it both ways!  Meanwhile training is well underway for the SDW team, not without the occasional tumble!

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page - we (the team listed opposite) are taking on a big challenge to cycle 100 miles along the beautiful South Downs from Winchester to Eastbourne - in just 2 days!  So, whilst we get ourselves geared up for that challenge, we need your help to raise £2,500 for the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation (CdLS).  At Varian Medical Systems in Crawley, we have chosen to support this little known charity from October 09 to September 10 and have already raised £4K through other events.  This bike ride will be our grand finale!

Some of the team are keener and fitter than others, but we all intend to make it, even though we have discovered that the South Downs Way is NOT just a ridge along the top after all, and the total of the ascents is approximately 3,555 metres or 11,600 feet.  That's over 3 times higher than Snowdon from sea level!

We are dedicating this bike ride to Thomas May from Worthing. Thomas was born with CdLS and he is the reason we got involved with CdLS and we want to raise money to help him and other children and their families to get the best out of life that they can.   Thomas is now 11 and despite his many difficulties is a fun-loving boy, much loved by his parents Jim and Debbie and his younger brother Joseph and sister Isobel, but the life of a child with CdLS,  is very very tough.

His Dad Jim works for Varian Medical Systems in Crawley, and will be taking part in the bike ride with his colleagues.

Please help us to raise valuable funds for CdLS so that they can go on helping Thomas and other children like him.

Thank you!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.